Labor/Birth
i went to the hospital with high blood pressure on a wednesday, and was sent home and was told to monitor it and take it easy since it wasn’t too high.
not even 3 days later i was back again but this time my blood pressure was staying higher and they decided the only way to get it down was to go ahead and deliver my son.
so i was admitted on april 20th.
they did pitocin, the foley balloon (which was worse than the whole birth experience in my opinion -1000/10)
fast forward and my son was born on the 22nd! after my son was born he was rushed straight to the nicu because i pushed for 2 hours. which caused him to have a subgaleal hematoma “a rare, life-threatening condition in newborns that occurs when blood accumulates between the skull and the scalp”
the doctors said this was serious. and there’s really nothing they can do for it, it would have to heal on its own. meanwhile, i was hemorrhaging and bleeding out while my baby was being rushed to the nicu. i lost 1800 mL of blood before they got it under control. they were rushing a crash cart into the room and a surgeon came running down the hallway ready to take me to surgery. by the grace of god they got me stable and i didn’t have to go to surgery. they gave me a blood transfusion and an iron transfusion.
the next couple of days i thought i was feeling better. i was going to see my son in the nicu everyday. i was able to move around on my own. i felt things were really starting to look up for me.
friday the 26th i was discharged. and we came home to get some more things packed to stay in the room connected to the hospital so we could go see my son and still be close to him.
by the time we got everything together to head back, my feet/ankles were swelled to the point it hurt to even walk. my husband decided to take me to the fire department to get my blood pressure checked, and it ended up being 186/116. mind you i didn’t feel bad at all i only had swollen feet. the firemen told me i needed to go straight to the hospital because this wasn’t good at all.
so we go back. i get readmitted and put on a 24 hour magnesium drip. which was terrible. it felt like i had flu, covid, basically all sicknesses at once. i couldn’t stand on my own, use the bathroom on my own. i felt really helpless. i felt helpless because my baby was in the nicu, and i couldn’t go see him because i was on bed rest with the mag drip. and i felt helpless because my husband was having to go back and forth from me to our son to make sure we were both okay.
finally my blood pressure is staying down, they discharged me again and put me on a blood pressure med.
the day after, our son was discharged as well and we all got to come home! what a relief! the first week was really scary for me because i didn’t feel a connection with him. he was like a glass doll that i didn’t want to break. looking at him made me sad. i will never forget that feeling of feeling like i wasn’t gonna be a good mother for him. or that i wouldn’t be able to give him what he needed.
once i got past the first week, we finally bonded. we had a routine. he’s finally my baby boy that i can hold and love on and take care of. the best feeling in the world.
fast forward to now, our son is 7 weeks old.
i woke up tuesday morning with a sharp pain in my right side. hoping it was just a gas pain, i tried to go back to sleep, but the feeling just wouldn’t go away.
i got up and went to the bathroom and immediately started throwing up because of how much pain i was in. by this point i was laid out in the bathroom floor yelling in pain. i called my husband and he came home immediately and took me to the hospital.
we were going to go to a farther but i was hurting so bad i told him to just get me to what’s closer because i couldn’t take the pain. when we got there they put me in a room. i yelled in pain the whole time i was laying there and kept apologizing to the nurses for being so loud. finally after 2 hours they gave me pain medicine which helped me fall asleep for a little while until they figured out where i was gonna go.
an ambulance came and picked me up and took me to the next hospital. that’s when i was told i have 2 ureters on my right side, and kidney stones that are causing a blockage in one of them. after a CT scan and a urine sample, they also found out that i have a UTI on top of that.
so for now they put a stent in to try and drain out the infected urine and i’m on antibiotics to help with that as well. they couldnt do the stent and take the kidney stones out because they said i could become sepsis which would be fatal. so with the stent and antibiotics, hopefully ill be able to pass the kidney stones on my own. i have to go back in 2 weeks to get the stent took out, and if i haven’t passed the kidney stones by then they will have to go in and bust them up.
i’m still in some pain, but im just thankful to be back home with my baby.
Labor and childbirth can often unfold in unexpected ways, filled with surprises and challenges. High blood pressure during pregnancy, known as gestational hypertension, is a serious concern that affects many women. It can lead doctors to decide on early intervention, including inducing labor to safeguard the health of both mother and baby. Such was the case for many mothers-to-be who, like the author, face intense emotional upheaval alongside physical challenges. The experience shared highlights the importance of being aware of the symptoms of high blood pressure and the significance of regular monitoring during pregnancy. Hospital visits can be overwhelming, especially when complications arise, such as needing interventions like Pitocin or the foley balloon, both of which introduce additional discomfort. Furthermore, having a newborn rushed to the NICU can intensify a mother's emotional burden, creating feelings of helplessness and anxiety. Conditions like subgaleal hematomas, although rare, can leave parents feeling frightened about their child's health. The stress of this situation is compounded when a mother experiences severe postpartum effects, including significant blood loss, which necessitates a blood transfusion. Understanding postpartum recovery, including the mental and emotional challenges many new parents face, is crucial. First-time mothers may struggle with their identities as they bond with their babies, a process that can sometimes take longer than expected. Support systems, including family and healthcare providers, play a vital role in easing the transition into parenthood. In light of complications like kidney stones or urinary tract infections, as experienced by the author later, it is essential to maintain open communication with healthcare professionals. These conditions can arise postpartum and may require urgent care, underscoring the need for postpartum health awareness. By sharing stories like these, we not only provide insight into the intricacies of childbirth but also foster a community of support for expectant and new mothers facing similar trials. Such narratives remind us that each birth is unique and that resilience and love often shine through even the toughest of beginnings.
