Started around 35 weeks I began having problems with my blood pressure being too high. At my 35 week appointment my OB ordered all the pre-eclampsia labs, including a 24 hr urine, and decided that we would do twice weekly NSTs to make sure little miss wasn't in distress from my high blood pressure and then weekly appointments for me. He also told me that it felt like she had flipped and was no longer breech. She still felt the same to me, but he was certain that he felt her head down low and her feet up high. That was a huge relief to me because I really didn't want to have a C-section and knew that the chances of her flipping after 35 weeks were slim.
She did great for every NST, had great variability and excellent movement. However, I didn't do so great at my appointments. At my 36 week appointment and the NST that week my blood pressure had dropped back down to normal it appeared that I wouldn't have to be induced after all. I was so excited that I would get to let her decide when she was ready to come and be able to experience a "normal" labor since we didn't have a normal conception. That all changed at my 37 week appointment. As usual her NST looked great, I was the problem. My blood pressure had shot up and despite taking it multiple times and letting me sit and rest for a while between each time it stayed around 150/92. While that doesn't seem too bad it's insanely high given that I was on heart medication for help keep my rate down and it also lowers blood pressure; both my OB and I were worried about how high my blood pressure would have been if I wasn't on the medications. He decided it would be best for me to have daily blood pressure checks and repeat all the pre-e labs (except the 24 hr urine). He was certain that I would not remain pregnant for my appointment next week, depending on how the labs came back I wasn't even going to get to stay pregnant that night. That afternoon I met him in the hall and he told me that I did get to stay pregnant that night and since he was doing an ultrasound to check position for a co-worker of mine he would do an ultrasound on me to make sure that she had indeed flipped. Well, jokes on him, she was still breech. We had a good laugh about that (since nothing else seemed to be going right that day) and then had a serious discussion about my options at this point. I basically had 3 options, I could see an acupuncturist to try moxy to get her to turn, we could schedule and external version to try to make her flip or we could schedule a section. I was completely devastated. First my body seemed to be failing my daughter by forcing her to come early. Secondly a section was still a very real possibility for me.
I scheduled an appointment for the next afternoon with the acupuncturist that I had seen last summer with the hope that it would work and I would still at least be allowed to labor and have a vaginal (or as most people refer to it a normal delivery). I had a strong feeling that I wouldn't get to stay pregnant tomorrow night so as soon as I got home from work I finished up the cleaning that I didn't get done the day before and made sure that both her bag and my bag for the hospital were packed.
The next morning I tried to stay as relaxed as possible. I knew my blood pressure was bad though. I had a terrible headache that was very similar to the migraines I used to get and had a really bad disconnected feeling. We checked my blood pressure and it was slightly high than it was the day before. My manager, bless her, tried having me rest and distract myself to see if it would come down, but nothing worked. It was time for a sit down with my OB in his office and make a plan. He didn't like the risks for both me and her of staying pregnant any longer. My options were attempt an external version and then induction or a section. I sat in his office in tears. I was scared for my baby and her health. I was upset at my body for forcing me to deliver her early. I was scared of the options. So I called my husband to discuss the options. After much discussion and some tears we decided that a C-section was the best option for us. So we walked down the hall and sat in my OB's office at noon on 8/5/14 and told him that we had decided to go for the section. The risks associated with an external version combined with the fact that it might not even work and we would still have to do a section were what pushed us to decide on the section to start with. My OB agreed with our choice and said that is what he would recommend and set me up for the section at 3:30 that afternoon. I had an hour and a half to get everything prepared for my leave at work and head to the hospital to check in, plus call our families and let them know. My husband also had to go back to work and wait until his chain of command was back from lunch (at 1:30) to let them know that I would be having the baby that day and get his paternity leave all squared away. Finally at 3:45 my nurse came and walked me down to the OR. The anesthesiologist who did my spinal was amazing and before I knew it they were calling my husband back into the room and the blue drape was going up in front of my face. The best part of my OB is that I knew and worked closely with him and the OB he had assisting him. They talked me through everything which I'm sure they do for everyone, but we also laughed and joked. He had a hard time getting her out because she was breech. As he was pulling her cute little booty out she pooped all over his hand, everyone in the OR had a good laugh at that. He also said that she came out with her hand in her mouth. She still gets mad if she isn't able to have her hands free and near her face now. At 4:18 on August 5, 2014, our precious daughter was born! She had a bit of a problem regulating her breathing for the first minute or two so they gave her oxygen via a mask, but she quickly figured out how to do it on her own. Before I knew it she was swaddled in blankets and laid on my chest. Reed and I held her and were totally in awe that she was here and ours. She was absolutely perfect!
We stayed in the hospital for 4 days. The first couple of days they were worried about jaundice with her but her bili levels never got high enough to need the bili lights. My blood pressure stayed up as well as my heart rate. Although the numbers were the same as before she was born my blood pressure and heart rate were actually better than before she was born because I was taken off the medication to lower it. However, I did ask him to put me back on it after two days because the palpitations were coming back.
I can't believe that was almost 3 weeks ago! My baby girl is 2 weeks old and still absolutely perfect!
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