My pregnancy started off perfect. At 8 week ultrasound there was a heartbeat 160bpm and a little peanut on the screen. I had mild nausea all day every day during the first trimester but that’s it.

During my second trimester I had some feet and ankle swelling, but BP was great. We attributed it to the hot weather since it was summer time.

I hit 28 weeks and got diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It couldn’t be controlled with diet so they added insulin. They kept increasing the insulin every week because it wasn’t helping.

At 30 weeks I started going twice weekly for NIPT machine and ultrasound to check on the baby. November 3rd I went in for the NIPT machine, and when they checked my urine it had really high protein levels and my BP was insanely high. At my appointment 4 days prior I was fine.

I was told to go to the hospital for a few hours of observation. Once there I was admitted and told 24 hours for observation and they were starting magnesium. 2 hours later a team came in from the high risk team and said I was going to be kept there for a week and be induced at 34 weeks.

The next morning they came back and said my protein levels more than doubled overnight, I now had high levels of liver enzymes in my urine and my platelets were off. I was given heparin shots and steroid shots and BP meds and they induced me that day. They used a foley bulb to dilate me faster. Once that was out I was hit with contractions almost instantly. They were incredibly painful and spiking my BP.

Anesthesia came in and gave me 2 options. Take the epidural or they were going to knock me out and take the baby. I got the epidural and continued to labor.

At 4 am Friday morning they broke my water. I continued to labor, breathing through intense contractions. Even with the epidural the contractions were extremely uncomfortable.

At 2 pm I was at 6 cm and my doctor said that if I’m not dilated enough by 4 pm I’d be having a c section. They realized my catheter balloon was blocking the baby’s head. They moved it back and by 4 pm I was at 10cm.

They had to turn him in the birth canal since he was face up so I had to do “practice pushes”. I almost pushed him out during those 6 pushes. They ran to get the whole team. I had close to 40 people in my room between my team and the baby’s team from the NICU. he was born at 4:33 pm weighing 5lb 3oz and was luckily very healthy despite being 6.5 weeks early. However, after birth my BP shot up incredibly high. I was on magnesium for 24 hours after birth and they had to fight my BP for 3 days. The few times I got to go down to the NICU to see my son he was either under blue lights or my nurse came and got me shortly after.

He spent 22 in the NICU before coming home. Even now 3 months later I have panic attacks when I think of how he was born and not getting to hold him.