My birth story starts December 21 and baby girl was finally born January 13.

On December 21 I went to my 32 week appointment and found that I had severely high blood pressure. My OB took it three times to make sure it was correct. She sent me straight to the hospital for monitoring, lab work and an ultrasound. Thankfully, my lab work and ultrasound came back normal and my blood pressure did not escalate any further. I was released.

I made it through Christmas and returned to my OB on Dec 28th. This time my blood pressure was a little lower and she hooked me up to the monitor in her office. All was fine.

New Years passed along with my baby shower. I returned to my OB on Jan 4th. I was definitely nervous because my OB had mentioned inducing any time my blood pressure went severe after 34 weeks. It was severe again. She sent me to the hospital for monitoring and basically a good luck because she was leaving for vacation and wouldn't be back for several days. My blood work and ultrasound continued to be fine but this time my urine sample showed elevated protein. The dr on call decided it would be best for me to have the steriod shots to help develop baby's lungs if she were to be born premature. I stayed at the hospital overnight. Next morning I was sent home to collect my urine for 24 hours and return the next day for additional monitoring.

I returned on the 6th and went through my new routine. I was starting to get rather comfortable at the hospital! My urine result came back that yes I did have elevated protein in my urine so a diagnosis of mild preeclampsia was given. I still had not had any of the bad symptoms (headache, blurred vision, pain in my upper right chest) and baby was still so early that it was better for her to stay inside. I was told to return two days later for more monitoring.

I returned to the hospital on the 8th. Same story. My stay this time was brief because I was also attending the childbirth class offered at the hospital that same day.

My next appointment with my OB was on the 11th at 8:30am. My blood pressure was so severe at this point that my dr actually talked me through induction and the possibility of a c section before sending me to the hospital.

When I arrived and they hooked me up to the machine, my first two blood pressures were 180/105. My dr was called and the decision to induce was made. By noon I was all set up in the labor and delivery room getting my IV placed and cytotec tablet was inserted to start dialation. I was also started on magnesium to prevent seizures due to the high blood pressure. Unfortunately, magnesium can make you unsteady on your feet so I was also fixed up with a catheter. My dr had never swabbed me for Group B Strep since I never made it to a 36 week appointment, so I was also given penicillin as a precaution.

I stayed like this for 24 hours. I dialated to about a 4 and nothing seemed to prgress from there. Luckily, I was having contractions, but I didnt really feel anything at all. Around 3pm on the 12th my OB came by and decided to break my waters. Not my first choice, but it seemed like this had gone on long enough. I instantly started feeling the contractions a lot stronger. By 5pm I was begging for an epidural (also not my first choice). Once the epidural was in, I was instantly relieved. It felt like I was sitting in a hot tub from the waist down. Not hot, just completely relaxed. I was able to get a nice nap in. At some point I started throwing up and was given oxygen.

Around midnight the nurse checked my progress and I was fully dialated. She went to call my OB while my husband and I freaked out. We were 36 hours in and this was finally happening! When the nurse came back, we did some practice pushes so I could learn what I was supposed to do. Pretty soon my dr arrived and the room filled with people. It was a little intimidating having ~7 people staring at my hooha (NICU had a team there).

I pushed for about 2 hours. It seemed to me that we were making progress. They kept commenting on how much hair she had, but the dr started using the vacuum extractor and couldn't get her out. At this point, the babys heart rate started declining and I agreed to a c section.

I dont remember much at all from the c section, except that when she was taken out, she didnt make any sounds. We could hear the nurses patting her and no sounds. Finally, someone called over that she was fine and breathing on her own. They brought her around to show me and then whisked her off to the NICU. My husband went with her and I was closed and sent to recovery. At this point, I could barely keep my eyes open but they wheeled me into the NICU to see her one more time before being taken to my room.

The whole ordeal was finally over! Baby girl was born at 3:02 am, January 13th, 6 pounds even, 20.5 inches. She was 35 weeks, 5 days gestation. She stayed in the NICU for 6 days: first for flushing the magnesium out of her system, and then two days under the bili light for jaundice.

As much of an ordeal as the whole thing was, I am grateful that I was able to to push for a time before the c section decision was made. I am also extremely grateful that my OB allowed me to try to have the birth that I wanted without telling me to go straight to c section. Turns out, my OB thinks my pelvis is probably too small for childbirth due to how small my daughter was and how hard we tried pushing and pulling her out. So any future children I have will be an automatic c section.

I am in awe of this gift from God.