I can always expand on anything if anyone has questions. I just thought it was time to share my story. It's posted in the Jan '17 moms board too.

First off, I was supposed to be induced on January 12th but that day, I had my show, contractions all day, and finally lost my mucus plug before we headed to the hospital early. I should mention that I'd had what I thought was a chest cold for about a week and a half (I couldn't lay flat without coughing constantly and getting a crackling in my chest). When we got to the hospital, they discovered I had preeclampsia, which hadn't been caught sooner, somehow so they had to start me on a magnesium drip.

Other than that, my labor went fairly quick and smooth. After the epidural, my son's heart rate dropped a bit so they rolled me side to side and positioned me to help him. I still managed to have him vaginally but he was taken off to the NICU because the magnesium, paired with the Colorado altitude tends to make it a little difficult for babies to transition.

Now, during the labor, they also noticed some odd heart arythmias during my contractions. So, post-labor, they did an echo and informed me I had peripartum cardiomyopathy. Also considered congestive heart failure. My heart just couldn't take pregnancy and it turns out that what I thought was a chest cold were the beginning stages of the heart failure (because my heart isn't pumping at 100%, my lungs had filled with fluid). So they kept an eye on me all day then moved me to recovery. Then the scary part happened. When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't breathe. They put an oxygen mask on me and rushed me to the ICU while I hyperventilated. They started me on diuretics to pull all the excess fluid off my lungs and I eventually could breathe again.

I was in the ICU, being monitored, not allowed to see my baby in the NICU for a few days. Then I was finally moved back to maternity recovery and eventually, after passing an oxygen test and almost a week after delivering my son, we were both discharged, him with oxygen and me with about eight prescriptions, one of which eliminated breastfeeding as an option, and a life vest that had the ability to defibrillate me in case my heart failed (just as a precaution while we worked on improving my heart function).

So I got a good five days home with my son and my husband, getting into the swing of things and I was feeling better and better, getting less winded during activities.

Suddenly, late at night on the 24th, my husband and I were watching tv when I suddenly got a ringing in my left ear and my whole left side went numb and tingly. I got up to find my cardiologist's number and fell when I put weight on my left foot. So my husband called 911 and I was rushed to the ER. This time, I was having a stroke. They confirmed it with a CT and administered a very scary blood thinner that can have the side effect of spontaneous brain bleeding. So they kept me in the ICU again for a day or two to make sure that didn't happen and then moved me to the cardiovascular unit to keep an eye on me for a few more days. I am now in the inpatient physical therapy unit, working on getting my left side working better and my vision. I only see my baby for brief periods when he comes to visit and it's really hard. But I'm so determined to do well and work hard so I can get home to him as soon as possible.

I'm only 29 years old, this was my first pregnancy (and will now be my last, due to the risk) and my entire pregnancy was completely healthy.

But here's the one thing that makes it all worth it:

Miles James Tiberius McNeil, born Friday, January 13, 2017, 7 lbs 10 oz, 21 in.

UPDATE: Thanks so much for all the comments and support! I've been home for just over 3 weeks now and improving. All my doctors are optimistic about a full recovery due to my age and the fact that all these problems were caused by the pregnancy. I just can't get pregnant again, it's too big a risk. For now, I have many months of physical and occupational therapy, cardiac rehab, meds, and many many doctors appointments ahead of me but I'm showing improvements already. And Miles is doing great! Here's an updated photo at six weeks.