Preeclampsia

Today I got a phone call that reminded me of the day that we had  Baby Bear . A family friend is about 35 weeks pregnant and found out that she has Preeclampsia So her mom called me to talk to me for a few minutes because I had been through it. 

Now it is just a memory, but finding out that you have preeclampsia can be so very scary!

I'll never forget that week!

It was a Wednesday and we got the phone call that Papa Bear's aunt had died. So we made immediate plans to go to West Virginia the following day. I had to work that night and had a doctors appointment the next morning. We were going to go to the doctor and see if everything was normal and get the okay for me to leave the state because I was 36 weeks pregnant and really wasn't supposed to at that point in my pregnancy. Well we went through nor normal urine sample and check up to make sure that I wasn't dialated yet. The doctor left the room for a few minutes and came back and just had this face that said that something wasn't right. He said that my kidneys were spilling protein over into my urine and that I had high blood pressure so I needed to go to the hospital for a quick test and if everything was okay I could go to West Virginia. 

Well we get to the hospital and before we knew it I was being checked into a room. Papa Bear and I couldn't understand why I was being checked into a room if it was just a quick test. Well, come to find out that the doctor failed to mention that it was a 24 hour test and that I would be staying the night in the hospital. We stayed the night and on Friday morning they told me that my blood pressure was high but that as long as I stayed under STRICT bed rest I could go home and deliver our baby on Monday morning. It was obvious that I wouldn't be going to West Virginia at this point. And I didn't want Papa Bear or his mom to miss his aunt's funeral so I told him to go on and my sister was going to stay with me. The plan was that he would leave and return on Sunday and then we would do have  Baby Bear  on Monday morning. Well I started crying when he left and my blood pressure went sky high. So they decided it would be better for me to stay in the hospital until Monday and then we would have her. But since they were still going to.wait.until Monday I told him not to turn around. I spent the night in the hospital with my sisters and my mom and talked to Papa Bear to give him updates every chance I got. We decided that he would come home right after the funeral on Saturday morning just in case. Well while I slept my blood pressure just kept going crazy. Apparently my condition just kept getting worse and worse, which everyone failed to tell me. They "randomly" took and ultrasound just to see how  Baby Bear  was doing and we found out that she was going to be a very small baby. She looked to be only about 5 pounds. The next thing I know I am calling Papa Bear at the viewing and telling him that I am about to have an emergency c-section. He would not make it home in time. He told me to try to stay calm and that he was on his way and would be there as soon as possible. They take me back and my sister Shauna goes with me as I have my c-section. I gave birth to an AMAZING , perfectly healthy, 4lb 7oz baby girl. It was 12:49 pm.

She was so tiny and so amazing. Her body temperature was a little low so I didn't get to hold her for an hour or so. But once I did my heart has never been the same. The moment that Papa Bear finally got to see her I knew he felt the same. But we weren't in the hospital for any longer than three days. We could have gone home at two days, but she was so small they just wanted to keep us one more night to keep an eye on her.
 The phone call I got earlier has had me thinking of our birth story non stop. Preeclampsia is a VERY scary thing. Especially if you don't know you have it until you are on the way to the hospital. I was working late and long shifts when I should have been on bed rest. Thank God I took care of myself because  Baby Bear came out perfect!Now I am just hoping the best for that friend's family.