I was 18 when I married my highschool sweetheart. We had been together for 4 years. We married and started our lives together in our hometown. In early September 1996, we decided to try to get pregnant. I had been on the pill for the last 4 years so we were expecting it to take a while before we would conceive. To our surprise, on our first anniversary we found out we were expecting our first child. It had only taken us one month to become pregnant. Mission one, accomplished.
My pregnancy was fairly normal to start. I did have quite a bit of nausea but never any vomiting. The nausea continued pretty much up until I delivered. It wasn't morning sickness in the literal sense. Instead, it continued from morning until night. As the pregnancy progressed, the heartburn kicked in. I was sure my child would have a full head of hair.
Near twenty weeks, we had our ultrasound that gave us the news that we were expecting a baby boy. It also showed that I had a low lying placenta. The doctor wasn't too concerned with it but did want to schedule another ultrasound around twenty-eight weeks to check placental position. As the weeks passed, I grew larger and larger. By my twenty-eight week appointment, my blood pressure had started to rise and the weight began to come on quicker than it should have. I had complained to my OB about the swelling I was having and the headaches that were at times, mind blowing. I was told to take frequent rests, thirty minutes at at time, while lying on my left side. I was to increase my water intake and reassured that this was all normal.
My twenty-eight week ultrasound showed that the placenta had moved up, as anticipated. However, the little stinker had now settled himself nicely into the breech position. They explained that if he didn't move prior to labor, a c-section may be necessary. The weeks passed, slowly, while I grew larger and larger.
At 36 weeks I went to the OB for my regular appointment around 11am. At that point, I had gained 11 pounds in the last 9 days. My blood pressure continued to rise to the point of concern. I was instructed to lie down and when they retook it, it was still elevated. They were labeling me as pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH). They scheduled me for biweekly NST's (Non Stress Tests) to check on the baby. My first one was that very day! After the NST, I went home to rest. By 11pm, something didn't feel right.
I called my OB to let him know that I had developed the worst headache of my life. I couldn't open my eyes. My head throbbed with each beat of my heart. I had tried getting into the shower but became light headed so I laid in the tub while submerging my head in the very-warm water. My OB told me that he felt I had the flu and to just call the office in the morning if I wasn't feeling any better. Since I was an information seeker and I had read everything I could get my hands on during this pregnancy, I knew that something was not right. I hung up the phone and immediately called labor and delivery. I explained to them how I felt and they instructed me to take two Tylenol and if not better in an hour to come right in. I was looking for options that would allow me to stay home until at least the morning because my husband was working the night shift.
After two Tylenol and an hour passing, the pain had only become more intense. I was shaking, I was vomiting, my head was pounding, my heart was racing, and I still couldn't open my eyes. I called my husband home and we headed straight for the hospital. The ride there was very difficult. Even though I had my head buried in a hotpack and a towel, every car we passed had headlights that pierced through these two things and directly into my eyes. The pain was incredible. I wanted him to hurry to get us there but the motion made me want to vomit. When we arrived, we were directed to go through the ER and then up to the L&D unit.
Once in Labor and Delivery, the typical senerio played out. All the basic information was asked and my initial vitals were taken. The first blood pressure was 146/104. That was enough to prompt a call to my OB immediately. You see, my typical blood pressure was around 110/70. The elevated blood pressure, the abnormal urine and labs, and my headache were enough to prompt the delivery of my son. I had preeclampsia.
My OB came in to inform me that we were inducing labor because at this point, we were doing more harm than good by staying pregnant. I thought to myself, "But I don't have my hospital bag. All I brought was my drivers license. I only came in for a headache." I was started on Pitocin by 8:30am. I was instructed that due to my rising blood pressure, I was not allowed to be up during my labor. I was restricted to lying on my left side. Of course, I was disappointed because I had opted for no epidural with hopes of being able to walk during labor. Throughout the morning and afternoon they increased my pitocin drip. I wasn't feeling the contractions and I wasn't making any cervical change. At 5:00pm, my husband decided that he would go home, shower, and return. I didn't want him to go but I knew that he had been up for over 24 hours, he was exhausted and needed to refresh a bit. I now believe he had a little bit of new daddy jitters going on. He left, taking my little brother with him. Promptly, at 5:30pm, my water broke. I was 2cm dialated. We called my husband, who had juststepped into the shower when the phone rang, and ordered him to return asap.
After my water broke, things started moving. The nurses came in, confirmed it was my water and changed my sheets. I hobbled to the restroom, dripping all the way there and back. Once snuggled back into bed, on my left side, the contractions started kicking in. Apparently, all of the pitocin that had built up over the previous nine hours was about to send me for a ride unlike any ride I had ever been on. The pain intensified. My patience grew thin. My body tossed and turned as it tried to escape from the pain. Finally, they moved me to a birthing room equipped with a whirlpool tub. I was finally allowed to be up, off my left side, and into a warm tub of water to help ease my pain. I thought it would be instant relief. I was wrong. The water was lukewarm, not nearly hot enough to provide any pain relief. I flopped like a fish in and out of the water. I sat on the toilet, pounding my fist on the sink. I went back to the tub thinking I'd try it yet again. Relief was not there. Looking back now, I believe the pain I was going through was due to being in transition. Finally, my husband helped me back to the bed where I begged for something to rid my body of the pain. They gave me a small injection of Vistril, causing me to hallucinate. I began seeing cats and wanting to order large pizza's. Then I began to feel different. It was the urge to push. This was approximately 10:30pm.
At 10:49pm, our first child was born. Jacob Grant, born three weeks early, weighed six pounds nine ounces.
