My entire pregnancy was unconventional. So being hospitalized at 29 weeks for onset severe preeclampsia did not exactly shock me. I had perfect blood pressures leading up to that week when it shot up to 160/119. After visiting my doctor I was placed in L&D for observation. They got my blood pressures down and let me go. One week later my urine proteins were high, my blood pressure had shot up and medicines would not lower it. My OB immediately transferred me to Texas Childrens in the medical center here in Houston where I spent the next 4 weeks being pricked for blood work every morning, fetal monitoring 2x a day, multiple ultrasounds a week, meeting with doctors everyday and inevitably being away from my family and friends for weeks as COVID19 ramped up. I couldn’t even leave the floor due to my fall risk. Everyday I was able to not deliver was another day closer to 34 weeks, induction day.

March 17, my blood pressures started to act up even with the medications I had been on that had worked so well. The doctors warned me that if anything in my blood work the next morning looked off they would deliver me. Blood work came back fine. I bought myself more tone...or so I thought. During my routine fetal monitoring, my son was not moving as he should have been. I was sent to ultrasound to get visuals and I had no amniotic fluid and oxygenated blood flow through his umbilical cord was minimal. Within 10 minutes of my finishing my ultrasound, I was being prepped for an emergency c section. An hour later on March 18, my IUGR 32 weeker was born at 3lbs 0oz.

Today, my baby is 2 months and almost 8lbs.