Once I was admitted to a room, my husband was finally able to join me and we started processing the news. I was immediately placed on a magnesium sulfate drip to avoid seizures, which made me very drowsy. We had originally planned to have a natural delivery, although I was told I could not have an epidural with my low platelets at risk of bleeding too much. We started the induction process and by 5 a.m., my contractions were 2 minutes apart and I was dilated to 3.
At 7 a.m. the next morning (January 12), everything changed.
The doctor came in and after consulting with the high-risk doctor, they had decided to do an emergency c-section that morning. Because my platelets were so low, I was receiving a platelet transfusion within 20 minutes of finding out.
I was so thankful for my husband’s calmness during this, as the magnesium sulfate had me so fuzzy and I was just trying to process that we were going from trying for a natural labor to c-section within minutes.
I was able to have a spinal tap after the transfusion (thankful to avoid general anesthesia, although I know this is not the case for many people with HELLP syndrome). My husband was able to join me in the operating room. The procedure then happened so fast. Within minutes of the doctors walking in, I heard the sweetest tears from the other side of the blue curtain and my husband, and I locked eyes in tears! Our sweet baby boy had arrived at 11:35 a.m. at 8 lbs., 20 inches. Next thing you know his sweet face was held up to mine (masked face) and we met our son.
What I did not realize is you are on the operating table for about 30 – 45 minutes after the c-section, at least that was the case for me. Luckily, I had the most caring anesthesiologist, who played music and showed me pictures to distract me from the procedure continuing and not having my baby or husband there.
When I arrived at the room, post c-section, our little guy was finishing up skin to skin time with his dad and came over for a brief skin to skin session with me and latched before we switched rooms again. I do not remember as much of this in detail as I had hoped because of my illness as well as the large amount of magnesium sulfate they had me on. I am so thankful for pictures to spark those memories for me. They say birth usually does not go as planned, and mine certainly did not.
Within hours of giving birth, my liver enzymes began normalizing and my platelets increased steadily. I was on bed rest for 36 hours after, as I needed to remain on the medicine after birth.
My hubby did most of the swaddling and diaper changes those first few days as I began to recover, and we were able to head home from the hospital after three days of observation with our healthy baby boy.
See part 1 here. For more information on HELLP syndrome visit: https://www.preeclampsia.org/hellp-syndrome.
My Spool of Life 