I gave birth early at 37 weeks and 2 days.

I was alone at home laying in bed and I felt my baby moving A LOT in my belly. Which was unusual for her. I would normally feel her move often but not that fast and frequent, especially since I had an anterior placenta. (The placenta is in front of the baby so you don’t always feel movement)

I was super anxious about it and something felt off. So I called my OBGYN office and they told me to not waste any time and go straight to the hospital and up to labor and delivery to get fetal monitored. Too little fetal movement can be a bad thing but too much movement can be bad as well.

When I got to labor and delivery, my blood pressure was super high, there was protein in my urine, and my liver enzymes were off. (All signs of preeclampsia) The nurses kept asking me if I had any symptoms but the only one I had was my baby moving fast and more frequent than usual. They told me that even though I don’t feel sick, that I was really sick and that it was no longer safe for me and my baby to be pregnant any longer.

It was at the hospital alone for a few hours and it was super scary. My boyfriend was working but he did get there as soon as he could. My sister traveled hours to come be there too.

I got an IV of magnesium which is the treatment for preeclampsia which honestly feels horrible. It was probably the worst I’ve ever felt in my life. It makes you so you can’t move your body/muscles. It makes you super hot, dizzy, lightheaded, nauseous, weak, lethargic etc. I had a catheter placed since I wouldn’t be able to walk to the bathroom on magnesium. I was also given leg massage cuffs so I wouldn’t get a blood clot from not being able to move my muscles. I was also given two type of induction methods to induce labor. This took place over the course of 3 days. Yes 3 days. I was still feeling horrible still being on the magnesium IV.

I was able to get contractions. They wrapped around my hips through my back. They were very painful. However, I wouldn’t dilate past 1 cm. I was still in early labor not active labor. My body just wasn’t ready.

The third day, I was offered pitocin which is another induction method. I decided not to take it. I felt so exhausted and weak. As much as I wanted a vaginal birth, I knew that I wouldn’t have the energy to push my baby out even if I did end up dilating more.

Between the magnesium, being in so much pain, chronic illness, preeclampsia… my doctor and I both decided that a C-section was necessary.

I had a c section on 8/17. I had to be on magnesium for 24 more hours. I stayed in the hospital 3 days after it. I was hospitalized for 6 days total. I did end up back in the hospital twice since I gave birth due to postpartum preeclampsia. The symptoms that I had were - swollen legs, ankles, and feet. I was super dizzy, light headed, nauseous, blurry vision, I was seeing black dots, and my blood pressure was high.

I gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby girl. And we are both alive today. Unfortunately, not every pregnant person can say the same. Especially black women. If you are pregnant or postpartum, please listen to your body and advocate for yourself. It could me a the difference of life and death for you and your baby.