Eviana's Birth Story- Part I

Symptoms of Preeclampsia
By Mayo Clinic staff
Preeclampsia can develop gradually, but often attacks suddenly, after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Preeclampsia may range from mild to severe. If your blood pressure was normal before your pregnancy, signs and symptoms of preeclampsia may include:
--High blood pressure (hypertension) — 140/90+
--Excess protein in your urine (proteinuria/albuminuria)
--Severe headaches
--Changes in vision, including temporary loss of vision, blurred vision or light sensitivity
--Upper abdominal pain, usually under your ribs on the right side

--Nausea or vomiting

--Dizziness

--Decreased urine output
--Sudden weight gain, typically more than 2 pounds a week
--Swelling (edema), particularly in your face and hands, often accompanies preeclampsia. Swelling isn't considered a reliable sign of preeclampsia, however, because it also occurs in many normal pregnancies.
When To See a Doctor
 Contact your doctor immediately or go to an emergency room if you have severe headaches, blurred vision or severe pain in your abdomen. Because headaches, nausea, and aches and pains are common pregnancy complaints, it's difficult to know when new symptoms are simply part of being pregnant and when they may indicate a serious problem — especially if it's your first pregnancy. If you're concerned about your symptoms, contact your doctor. (I wanted to educate anyone who didn't know about preeclampsia before I started my story.)
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When my pregnancy was confirmed, I wasn't able to see a doctor until I was 3mo. along. I applied for medicaid and they accepted me. Ever since I was a senior in high school, I wanted to be a midwife. So naturally, I would want to be cared for by one. I preferred a birthing center, but medicaid did not pay for these facilities. Medicaid only accepts midwife providers who work under hospital "rules". I started my care with a midwife at La Esperanza Clinic. She was really nice and I liked her a lot. Later in my pregnancy, I had to move my care to Shannon Hospital with another midwife, Opal Smith. I wasn't happy about the care I was forced to accept with medicaid, but I had no other choice.



5-6 Months Pregnant



The first 6-7 months of my pregnancy I did great, only gaining 5-15 lbs. I walked/worked out every day on my lunch break and ate mostly healthy meals. Around my 7 mo. of gestation, I starting having some unusual things happen. I had pregnancy induced gout (a form of arthritis). My knuckles hurt all the time and it was hard to hold onto things. I also started having severe abdominal and groin pain. I would double over in pain crying AT WORK. It was embarrassing. When I discussed these issues with the nurses and midwife, they seemed to shrug it off. It never seemed to be taken seriously and was never explained.



Soon after these symptoms arrived, I noticed other unusual signs of problems. I started rapidly gaining weight, even though there was no change in activity or diet. I started my pregnancy at 150 lbs., which at 5'8" is pretty fit. I swam, ran, and walked, so when I started seeing 180, 190, 200 lbs on the scale I was horrified. I also started swelling, and not "normal" pregnancy swelling. My mom would say she could hear me sloshing when I walked. I couldn't wear shoes at work and my fingers were fat sausages. I rarely had headaches, but now it seemed they were frequent and accompanied by slight dizziness.



5 Weeks Before I Gave Birth



I started getting worried because these symptoms sounded familiar. I went to the nurses at La Esperanza several times a week and informed my midwife at every visit that I was worried. They would test my urine and it always had protein in it. They made me feel like my concerns were nothing and just told me to eat more protein. This was irritating. I knew something was wrong. Just because I was young and on medicaid didn't mean I was a clueless idiot. I knew something was wrong with my body and everyone else seemed to think so too, EXCEPT for my care takers.



I finally got desperate for help and asked my mom to accompany me to my 38 week doctor visit. I thought surely they will listen to a woman who has had three children and is more "mature" than I am. When we arrived, I voiced my concerns to Opal and even suggested I might have Preeclampsia (also known as Toxemia). When Opal again told me I was fine without even looking at me, my mother informed her otherwise. She told Opal to check me out immediately and we weren't leaving until she did. Reluctantly, Opal did a pitting test. She squeezed my calf and timed how long it would take for her hand print to go away. A minute later, there was no change. Her eyes got a little bigger and SHE decided we should run some tests (YA THINK?!?!).



My urine test showed high levels of protein and my blood tests showed high levels of uric acid. They also found from my blood tests that my hemoglobin levels were rising, which if anything, are suppose to get lower during pregnancy. On the 24th of January my hemoglobin levels were 12.3 and on the 30th they were 16.5! I naturally have a pretty low blood pressure. At the beginning of my pregnancy my BP was anywhere from 90/52 to 120/58. My charts had shown an increase in blood pressure, but no one took notice. My last taken blood pressures was 134/74 to 142/74. I had also gained over 30 lbs. in the last 5 weeks. How is it possible that a 20 year old without a doctorate obviously saw the signs and diagnosed herself, but the "professionals" had no clue. They actually acted surprised!!!.



Two Weeks Before My Induction
(Can YOU see the difference?)



Opal brought in Dr. Dunham. He looked at my charts, looked at me, and then gave the stink eye to Opal. He checked my cervix and I was dilated to a two. He informed me that my case was severe and that I would need to arrive at the hospital the next morning for an induction. My mom and I were in shock. We took all of my instructions home and prepared for the next day.



This day would be bitter sweet. It was the day Eviana graced me with her presence and God granted me with the responsibility of His child. This day came with a price, though. A heartache that constantly reminds me not to freely trust someone just because they have a few letters behind their name that give them the title "doctor".
To learn more about Preeclampsia, amazon.com has some books you can read.

Preeclampsia Medical Guide