Charden's Birth Story

I figured I would post this here, since it's a pretty interesting birth story... definitely not the norm.... 

 

 

I went to the doctor on November 12th because I thought I had a bladder infection. My blood pressure was a little high, so I was told to come back the next day. I returned on Thursday, and my blood pressure was still really high. This, combined with the 45 pounds I had already gained at 30 weeks gestation sent me to the hospital to be admitted for further evaluation. It was the beginning of pre-eclampsia, a life threatening pregnancy disorder fatal for both mom and fetus. That Thursday, I was sent to an ultrasound that revealed numerous problems with the baby. I had a ton of extra amniotic fluid surrounding her, and she was small for her age. The test also showed something called duodenal atresia, meaning that the upper part of her small intestine did not develop correctly. This happens in 1 in 10,000 fetuses. There was also a 20-30% chance that she would have Down's Syndrome. The test also revealed that one kidney was bigger than the other. I was sent back to my room with an anmio scheduled for the next day to see if she did have Down's Syndrome. The plan for me at this point was to stay in the hospital until I deliver so that I could be monitored for pre-eclampsia. The doctor was hoping I would stay pregnant for at least a few more weeks, but the excess animotic fluid plus the strain on the placenta from the high blood pressure didn't look so good. On Friday the test results came back that Charden did not have Down's Syndrome. Saturday was a normal day, but my blood pressure was still sky high. I woke up on Sunday with a slight stomach ache. I ate breakfast and nothing changed. By 10am, my stomach ache became intolerable, and I was rushed to labor and delivery for further evaluation. They continually took blood to check my labs, and all the labs came back normal. I was in IMMENSE pain but they couldn't give me any relief because they didn't want to mask any symptoms. I was having minor contractions, but that was nothing compared to the throbbing pain in my upper right abdomen. Finally, at 5:30, my labs came back that my liver enzymes were skyrocketing. This means that I was developing not only severe pre-eclampsia, but something called HELLP syndrome, which occurs in 1 in 20,000 pregnancies. Basically, my liver was going to explode. I was rushed into an emergency c-section and Charden was born within the hour. She was 2 pounds, 8 ounces and 14.5 inches long. I did not get to see her until they were on their way out of the hospital to transfer her to the Children's  hospital NICU. I saw her for about two minutes through her glass chariot. I was returned to my room and placed on Magnesium for 24 hours. I don't remember too much from this time. I know that Beau spent all day with Charden on Monday. I was not able to see Charden again until Tuesday, when I got to hold her for the first time. She is an extremely strong preemie. She breaths on her own and she lets you know when she is upset. She had her surgery for her duodenal atresia yesterday, Wednesday, November 19th. She is recovering very well. She will remain in the NICU for 4-6 weeks. She is getting excellent care.

So that's my amazing, unplanned birth story. Prior ultrasounds and tests indicated that nothing was wrong with me or the fetus, and then within a few days I developed life threatening syndromes and had a baby.
Pre-Eclampsia- 8% of pregnancies
Duodenal Atresia: 1 in 10,000 fetuses
HELLP Syndrome: 1 in 20,000 pregnancies
2 appendixes (Charden had two, both were removed with the surgery) 1 in 50 people.

I am so lucky that everything turned out the way it did and that Charden and I are on the fast track to a full recovery. Beau and I could not be more lucky.

 

 

 

Right now Charden is 3 pounds, 13 ounces and bottle and breastfeeding. I am hoping to have her out of the NUCU sometime this week! If not, at least by Christmas would be nice!