By: Christine Cox, The Choosy Mommy
On Monday, May 25, 2015, which happened to be Memorial Day, my husband and I welcomed baby #2, Cam, into our family.
Much to our surprise, Cam arrived 7 weeks early at 33 weeks and 3 days gestational. As a second time mommy, I
thought I had a lot of things figured out, but I learned so much from my
premature peanut. Our experience was unlike my other pregnancy and delivery. My
situation was rare and I hope that another mother, or even father, can learn
something from my story.
The Thursday before Cam was born, I was in pain starting in
the very early hours of the morning. My stomach just hurt. It was hard to
describe the pain but it wasn’t contractions. I guess you could say the pain
was a constant cramping feeling. That progressed to my back hurting to the
point of feeling like I could not walk. I knew something was wrong so I
promptly called my OB and went in for a checkup.
My blood pressure was a bit elevated but we figured it was
just due to me stressing out. I had a bit of protein spilling into my urine,
but it wasn’t enough to be concerned about at that time. The baby’s heart tones
were fine according to the Doppler, but just to be sure, I was sent to the
hospital for a non-stress test.
The non-stress test also showed that the baby was fine, and
my blood pressure had declined by the time I got to the hospital and was hooked
up to an IV. However, at that time the doctors were more concerned about my
cervix changing than anything else. After an hour or so of monitoring, they
thought I may have dilated a bit and since the hospital did not have the
highest level of NICU that we would need at 32 weeks I had to be transported to
another hospital.
I was hooked up and monitored at the new hospital for
another hour. After nothing changed, they gave me some pain medicine and a
steroid to help develop the baby’s lungs faster in case we did end up
delivering early, and sent me home. I felt fine until Sunday evening.
My toddler and I spent most of Sunday in the pool. It was
one of the first really nice weekends of the summer so we took full advantage
of the weather. But by dinner time, I started to feel achy again. Not exactly
the same pain that I had on Thursday, but similar. The stomach pain intensified
(still not a contraction feeling) and I could not get comfortable. Plus my
shoulder hurt, but I chalked that up to being in the pool all day and kind of
ignored it.
The only time I felt fine was when I was soaking in a hot bath.
At one point I did end up throwing up but I also didn’t really think much of
that either since I was getting upset. But after taking 4 baths, I finally said
to my husband that something isn’t right and we have to go to the hospital
again (and by this time it was midnight!)
We dropped our toddler off at grandma’s house and went back
to the first hospital. They did a blood test to find out that I had something
that I have never heard of before---HELLP syndrome. I was told that we would have
to deliver my baby ASAP. Yet again, I was transported to the second hospital
since we were still too early in my pregnancy for the first hospital’s NICU.
This syndrome is rare which is why I felt it was important
to share my story. According to WebMD, HELLP syndrome is a
life-threatening liver disorder thought to be a type of severe
preeclampsia. It is characterized by Hemolysis (destruction of
red blood cells), Elevated Liver enzymes (which indicate liver damage),
and Low Platelet count.
HELLP syndrome often
occurs without warning and can be difficult to recognize. A lot of women
believe they just have flu-like symptoms and ignore the pain and signs. It can
occur without the signs of preeclampsia (which are usually a large increase in
blood pressure and protein in the urine – like I had). WebMD states that symptoms
of HELLP syndrome include:
- Headache.
- Vision problems.
- Pain in the upper right abdomen (liver).
- Shoulder, neck, and other upper body pain (this pain also originates in the liver).
- Fatigue.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Seizure.
What you need to
remember most from this is that HELLP syndrome can be life-threatening for both
the mother and her unborn baby. A woman with symptoms of HELLP syndrome
requires emergency medical treatment, hence why I was told we had to
deliver ASAP, because it is the only known way to reverse the
syndrome.
At 11:38 a.m., my son was delivered by cesarean due to him being breach. Born at
a whopping 4 pounds, 14 ounces, Cam was breathing on his own and crying!
Cam spent 13 days in
the NICU so he could grow and learn things outside of the womb that babies who
remain inside the womb normally do (I’ll tell you about this in another blog).
This was the most stressful 13 days my husband and I have had. In fact, my
husband, a U.S. Marine, said that he would rather go back to Iraq than go
through the 13 days in the NICU again!
Now a little more than 3 months old, Cam weighs in
around 9 pounds, 7 ounces, He is a happy, healthy baby. My family and I are doing
fine now and I haven’t had any further issues since delivery.
My story is
important to read because it teaches expectant mothers, and fathers for that
matter, to not ignore the signs your body is trying to tell you. Your body is a
well-oiled machine but when something is wrong, it starts giving you signs to
do something about it. Don’t ignore your body and get the help needed ASAP!
Have you heard of HELLP syndrome prior to reading this post? Do you
have a rare pregnancy/delivery story that you’d like to share?
About the Author: Christine Cox is the blog master and The Choosy Mommy for Choosy Kids. She has always had a passion for writing and is honored to contribute her work to this blog. Most of her writing inspiration comes from her daughter, Capri, who is fun-loving and full of energy, and newborn son Cam. Click here to learn more about Christine.