Our Monday, January 3rd appointment went well and we were on our way to our January 7th goal of 32 weeks. As I had been experiencing contractions, I was prescribed terbutaline tablets to take every 4 hours as needed to stop the contractions. By Wednesday, January 5th though, the tablets didn’t seem to be keeping the contractions away fully. Also, it was about at this time that I noticed my legs seemed heavier and bloated. As water retention is a side effect of terbutaline, I didn’t think a ton of it. However, by Thursday, January 6th, my legs were even larger and I found it hard to stand up straight because of it. So, I phoned the doctor and was asked to come in that afternoon to be placed on the contraction monitor. Before leaving the house, I decided to weigh myself. I had gained about 8 pounds since Monday’s appointment. I knew that probably was not a good sign.
Soon after arriving at the doctor’s office, I was weighed (confirming the super fast weight gain) and they discovered that my usually low blood pressure was now high. I was also having contractions. At this point, my doctor called our specialist. The hospital would be sending an ambulance to come and get me as soon as possible. I was experiencing preeclampsia.
I phoned Derick and then was prepped for transport. Derick followed the ambulance to the hospital. Thank goodness we both had our bags packed and ready to roll. We really had no idea that things would progress so quickly, especially since things were basically fine and still on track just a few days earlier.
En route, I was given the first of two steroid shots to help the babies’ lung development. Due to the preeclampsia, we would be delivering them early at 32 weeks, 1 day on Saturday, January 8th. I learned that the cause of preeclampsia isn’t exactly known, but pregnancy with multiples increases one’s risk for the condition. The only way to stop the various symptoms of preeclampsia is to deliver the babies
As you can imagine, this whole event was a whirlwind. By the end of Thursday, I was starting to feel horrible. But, we had a day or so to wait it out, as I still needed another steroid shot on Friday (and it had to have 24 hours to have it’s maximum effect for the babies sake). By Friday, I couldn’t even raise my legs up at all. It was as if I was paralyzed. I was completely bedridden and had to rely on the nurses and Derick to help with nearly everything I needed. I don’t think I had felt so helpless in my entire life. It was somewhere during this time that I was started on an IV of magnesium sulfate to ward off potential seizures that can happen as a result of preeclampsia. I was also put on a high blood pressure medication.
The magnesium sulfate made me feel sort of out of it. By Saturday, I was counting down the hours until our delivery around 2 p.m. I honestly don’t think I could have lasted much beyond that point. I felt practically lifeless and was having blurred vision, but insisted that Derick help me put on some makeup so I didn’t look like a total mess. The nurse joked that we’d end up with three girls since Derick was helping me with my makeup.
I wasn’t allowed any food/water for awhile before the C-Section. I was hungry and extremely thirsty. Again, this was not a fun time. I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I guess I had it in my mind that after the babies were born, I’d feel better right away. Oh, was I wrong…
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment