Eden Joy Race

Eden’s Birth Story:

**don’t read if you are expecting**

It’s hard to decide where to start with Eden’s birth story. I had symptoms of pre-eclampsia for about a week before I ever got checked out (at the time, I didn’t know that’s what it was and thought I was having normal 3^rd trimester symptoms).

December 23^rd-

We had Chad’s moms Christmas this day. I got ready that morning feeling absolutely awful. I couldn’t get rid of a headache that I had that whole week. I finally got ready and couldn’t zip up my boots because my legs were so swollen. That’s the first time I remember thinking something might actually be wrong. I planned to call the Doctor, but everything was closed with the holidays.

So at Angie’s Christmas, I felt awful. My sister-in-law Molly, mentioned that I might want to get my blood pressure checked (Molly doesn’t know this, but her mentioning this is the only reason I got my BP checked that night). Made it through Christmas and on the way home, I asked Chad to stop at Walgreens just to double check and make sure everything was okay because I felt absolutely awful.

I went to the pharmacy area and they didn’t have a machine, so I asked if there was someone who could check my BP for me. They sent me to see the pharmacist who checked it digitally and my BP was around 180/120. She thought that had to be wrong and checked my BP with the normal machine. That one read 200/120. At this point, I was shaking and started realizing something was wrong. She advised me to go to Labor and Delivery immediately.

So here we go to Labor and Delivery late at night with Eli with us. Chad called ahead and they were prepared for me. I had to go up by myself while Chad met his Mom to get Eli for us. I went to triage; my BP was still extremely high. They started me on magnesium and a catheter for a 24-hour urine collection.

Magnesium is the worst thing ever. It makes you feel miserable and made me see double and I don’t even want to talk about that urine catheter.

We stayed in triage most that night while they monitored me. I had my BP checked every 15 minutes and they ordered an ultrasound of Eden to make sure she was ok.

Late that night, they finally moved us to Labor and Delivery and told us we would most likely stay that night and then I would be put on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy (8 more weeks.

December 24^th-

Saturday came and I thought I would be going home that day. But my BP stayed high, I was still on magnesium and we got the results for the 24-hour urine collection. My protein levels were 15,000. For a normal 24-hour urine collection, if you exceed 300 that is considered high. They told me that with those levels I should be unresponsive in the ICU, but I was alert and talking with them. So they took it as a mistake with the labs and I had to stay for another 24-hour urine collection.

I’ll never forget Christmas Eve night in the hospital. I wanted to be home with Eli and Chad watching Christmas movies, but instead I was in the hospital. There was a doctor who played the saxophone for the patients in the halls that night and not many nurses around. They had a nurse dedicated to me only though. (Found out later that isn’t a good sign)  

December 25^th-

Christmas came. Most of it was a blur. I was still on magnesium and getting my blood levels checked every 3 hours. I was told different things by different doctors and still didn’t quite know what to expect. My 2^nd 24-hour urine collection results came back and my protein levels were at 13,000. So the first one was not a mistake. I couldn’t be sent home with my levels that high and my BP consistently staying high. So the 25^th was a waiting game to find out what would happen. All I wanted was a shower and to eat. But I wasn’t allowed either since they could induce me at any time.

December 26^th-

Found out on the 26^th that baby looked good and weighed a little over 4lbs via ultrasound. She was doing great. But they officially diagnosed me with pre-eclampsia since my BP had been consistently high for going on 4 days. They told me I wouldn’t be leaving the hospital until my baby was born and it was a waiting game on when that would happen. Still on magnesium, they FINALLY gave me a little break from the catheter, still getting BP checked every 15 minutes, and still getting blood drawn every 3 hours.

Around 5:00 that night the nurse came in and told me they were going to induce me. They had a NICU doctor come down and explain to us the whole process of the NICU. How Eden would be in there until her expected due date if not longer. Expect her to take one step forward and then a few back. They basically tried to prepare us for the NICU life. Which no one can actually prepare for.

I was induced around 6 and got an epidural around 7. I’ll never forget during the epidural they asked me if that was my spine because I was so swollen they couldn’t feel my spine. Thankfully all went will with the epidural and then I slept for most of my labor.

December 27^th-

I slept most the day. I know my Mom and Chad were with me and the nurse would come and check on me pretty regularly. Around 6:00 that night, I woke up with extreme pain in my back and I felt like she was coming. My mom went and got the nurse and Eden was indeed coming. She had to rush to get the whole NICU team and the doctor who was currently scrubbing in for a C-section. Eden was born right at 6:00 with only one push. They let Chad cut her cord and placed her on me for maybe a second. I remember thinking she was so small when I got to touch her. They took her to the side and worked on her for what seemed like forever. I’ll never forget sitting there waiting for her to cry, and listening to the NICU team count while she wasn’t breathing.

Finally, I remember hearing her cry and a NICU nurse yelling that she looked good and then they took her away. I’m not sure what happened next. I know Chad and my family got to go see her. They couldn’t move us to a normal room until the next day. So that night was the most uncomfortable night of my life. I hadn’t eaten, had a shower, or gotten out of bed in 5 days.

I know for a fact; I couldn’t have done it without Chad. I’m sure he was scared during the process, but he never showed it. Most of it is a blur to me. I remember bits and pieces and I slept a ton. But he had to be awake and making decisions the entire time.

Eden was born only weighing 3lbs and 5oz. She was a lot smaller than they expected and later on at her first well checkup out of the NICU I found out she had IUGR (intrauterine growth retardation-basically my pre-eclampsia that I had was constricting her growth and she should have been a lot bigger) while I was pregnant. Something no one bothered to tell me in the hospital.

After she was born-

After we moved to a normal room, I FINALLY got to see Eden on the 28^th. I didn’t get to hold her until the 29^th and I didn’t get to go home until January 1^st. I missed Eli and her so much during those few days just sitting at the hospital waiting for my BP to stabilize.

They finally got me on enough BP meds that I could go home and then the next day at home my BP bottomed out because it stabilized on its own. So when I took my meds it got way to low. It was a long process of finding the right dosage for about 2 weeks.

Eden came home on February 1^st. Her due date was February 15^th. She excelled in the NICU. Never took step backs and never had any problems. She was completely breathing on her own at birth, which doesn’t happen often at 32 weeks.

Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. It was scary and I was angry for a long time afterwards. I remember being jealous of these chunky little newborns people had. When we were leaving the hospital with all our bags, a guy on the elevator looked at us and asked “Where’s the baby? Hiding in all that luggage?” We just smiled and laughed it off. But looking back, I’m grateful that I had a baby to leave at the hospital. She was where she needed to be to heal and grow.

But after a year of healing. I’m so thankful for a healthy baby girl. I’m thankful I didn’t have a stroke when women have had them in pregnancy with a lot lower BP than I had. I’m so thankful for Gods hand of protection over my family. I had symptoms probably for a week before I every went in. I remember barely being able to stay awake during the day because my head hurt so bad. I couldn’t wait until Eli napped during the day so I could nap. Yet here we are, almost a whole year later and you couldn’t even tell by looking at us. It’s taken a lot of prayer, patience, grace, and love. But I wouldn’t change a thing. I learned a lot about myself, and my family through the process.

So hold your babies tight. They are precious and worth every struggle we went through to have them.

If you read this whole thing you’re amazing! There are probably a ton of spelling and grammar errors. But writing it was harder than I thought and proofing it probably won’t happen.

Thanks,

Kati