Two and a half weeks ago Ella was born. Her birth came with the unexpected, and as we look back we are so thankful that we made it through safely and are finally able to settle back into life with our two wonderful boys and our new little girl.
On February 14th I had a check-up and everything was great. My blood pressure was normal, I felt good, and Ella was doing really well. The very next morning I felt dizzy and very tired and checked my blood pressure and it had skyrocketed to dangerous levels. My OB had me come in right away, and a c-section (my third) was scheduled for that afternoon. The c-section went smoothly, and my blood pressure returned to normal shortly after Ella's birth. The moment she first cried, I did too. The relief you feel knowing that your baby has safely arrived is tremendous. And she was perfect in every way, and so beautiful.
My recovery from the c-section was painful. It was much worse than with the boys. The pain medication was either not enough and I was in tremendous pain, or too much and I felt yucky. We couldn't seem to get it right and I was pretty miserable and I also really, really missed being home with Grayson and Max. So 3 days after Ella was born my OB allowed me to go home (a day early) and it was so wonderful to be back home.
But two days after returning home I felt extremely fatigued and sometimes dizzy. I also had a headache (despite pain meds for the c-section) and I just knew something was wrong. My blood pressure was once again dangerously high and I had other symptoms that indicated neurological issues (lights were very bright, reflexes were extremely jumpy) and my OB immediately checked me into the hospital with a diagnosis of postpartum preeclampsia (which is very rare). I then underwent 24 hours of receiving magnesium sulfate intravenously and it was the hardest 24 hours I have ever endured. The magnesium sulfate makes your body hot and heavy, your vision blurry, and overall you just feel miserable. It quiets all of the neurons in your body so that you don't have a seizure, and the protection from it lasts several weeks. Tony stayed with me in the hospital the entire time and helped me every time I had to get out of bed, he changed Ella's diapers, handed her to me to feed, and refilled my water. I was unable to do anything but lay in bed with my eyes closed counting the minutes until it was over. I couldn't watch television or read emails, although Tony read me many of the emails of support and prayer that were coming in from friends and family. And I was so thankful that I was able to have Ella with me and continue to nurse her. She was a little bright light in the midst of the darkness.
Once the treatment was over I was able to go home, but it had made me extremely weak and emotionally it had taken a toll as well. I walked in and Grayson and Max were on the couch watching a tv show and I just sat and hugged them for the longest time and tried not to cry in front of them. For the next week I still felt terrible - extremely fatigued, lightheaded, unable to focus or do much of anything. My blood pressure was not back to normal levels despite being placed on medication, so that medication was increased twice until finally it stabilized at a normal level and I started to feel better.
During this time we had tremendous support from Mima (Susan) who ended up staying at our house for 10 days to take care of the boys during Ella's delivery and the aftermath. Then my Dad (Papa George) arrived the day she left and he continued to take care of us for a week as I slowly gained strength and resumed my usual activities. My Mom (Nana) will be arriving in the next couple of weeks to give us yet another round of help.
The entire experience was really hard on Grayson and Max. Grayson was so sweet and didn't complain and was so good to everyone, but you could tell that he missed me and Tony and that he was unsure of the situation. When I went back to the hospital the second time, he told his teacher "Mommy got a headache so she took the baby back to the hospital" which gave us all a laugh. Max reacted as most 2-year-olds would and became very difficult. This was hard on everyone, especially me, as I knew that his acting out was purely a result of him feeling insecure and missing me. It was a really hard time for all of us, and I am so thankful it is over.
We are now settling back into life. Grayson and Max are both back to their normal, happy selves. I am once again their full-time Mom, and it feels great to be able to care for them again. And my body should heal itself over time to the point that I don't need medication to control my blood pressure. I am so blessed to have three wonderful children, a husband who loves me and takes tremendous care of me especially when it matters most, and incredible family and friends who have shown us love and support in so many different ways these past few weeks. I am extremely grateful.
1 comment:
wow! I am so sorry to hear of all the complications Shannon. But I know you must be happy to have your little girl. Sending you lots of prayers for recovery and health. We are expecting our 2nd (a boy!) in July. I had the blood pressure thing with Connor and it was no fun. So happy you had such good caregivers in your husband and your doctors.
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