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Baby Girl came 3 weeks early due to Gestational Diabetes and High Blood Pressure

Brittany • Thu, Mar 09

This is going to be long sorry in advanced, but it definitely was an emotional roller coaster ride.

On the 20th of February I went in for my 37th week appt and had my first NST. I had been going to weekly appts since about 26 weeks due gestational diabetes that I was able to control based on diet. From about 32 weeks I had slightly elevated blood pressure readings and on this particular day it was the highest it had been. I told the dr I had seen spots earlier that day while at work but they came and went within a few mins. She said if I got them again or got a bad headache or had abnormal stomach pain to go to triage immediately to be monitored. I wasn't dilated or effaced at all at this point either. She also was suggesting I take off work earlier than originally planned to hopefully help with the blood pressure. I wanted to finish the week out at work. Come Wednesday I woke up feeling like absolute crap was having weird stomach pains. Got to work wasn't even there an hour and I started seeing spots. I was trying to ignore it because I was trying to do something for my boss. My computer froze so I had to ask a colleague to print out what my boss needed, and as I was standing at his desk I got extremely dizzy and almost passed out. My sister is a labor and delivery nurse and she told me to go immediately. So I did and the hospital is about 40 mins from my job. Of course there was no parking once I got there either. I go up to triage the nurse tells me to go in the room and take my clothes off from waist down. My dad came to be with me since he recently quit his job and waiting a few weeks to go back to work. The nurse came in to put the monitors on and blood pressure cuff. After about an hour of that, she came in took off the monitors but left the cuff. Basically told me they were going to do bloodwork if it came back normal I was probably going home and that it took about an hour and a half for results. I told my dad to leave that I was fine he had an appointment. Well I waited the hour and a half then there was a knock on the door figured it was the nurse but no it was one of my drs. She came in said that I had quite a few blood pressure readings that were high and borderline and since the past few weeks at my appts I had higher readings as well she was sending me to labor and delivery. At this point I didn't fully comprehend they were going to induce me. Then a new nurse came in to take me, and my dr started taking about cervadil and it finally set in. I started crying mainly bc I was alone and partially bc I thought I was going home. I got to labor and delivery at 12:45pm. The nurse started the IV they had me eat lunch and at 4:30pm they started the cervadil. I was not dilated at all or effaced so talk about going against nature. They removed the cervadil at 4:30am and I was only a fingertip dilated. Talk about discouraging. Then they started 4 rounds of cytotec at 5:45am. This was a long day of little to no progress and a lot of waiting. After the waiting period after the 4th dose I was only 1cm and 40% effaced. It's now 10pm on the 23rd and they decided to let me rest a little, shower and eat and then started pitocin at midnight. I went to sleep as they started the pitocin. At 1:30 I woke up and felt like I had a pee and I moved from my side to my back and felt a pop and then a trickle. I looked at the nurse and asked if I was allowed to use the restroom and she said yeh and as I'm asking her more started leaking out. I looked at the nurse and told her I'm pretty sure I peed the bed lol. She looked shocked and goes maybe your water broke. My sister and mom woke up right away as the nurse is trying to get a strip to check. My husband was still asleep on the floor. Well I got up to pee and as I walked more water was leaking and it had a pinkish tint. So the nurse set up the bed to allow my water to keep coming out since it slowly leaked with each contraction. The contractions slowly intensified from that point on and by 4:30 I was in so much pain from the contractions I begged for the epidural. The whole natural birth went out the window. The epidural was a piece of cake. I was so nervous, but it honestly didn't hurt at all. The contractions were 100% worse. I got the epidural at 5am I was 2cm 40% effaced and -2 station. I finally got some rest and at 7am I was 4cm 80% effaced and -1 station. At 9am I was almost 9cm 100% effaced. Finally at 10am I was fully dilated. I started pushing at 10:40. I kept saying I didn't want a mirror but changed my mind and made them bring one in. She was born at 11:59 on 02/24 6lbs 6oz 20 inches long after an hour and 20 mins of pushing. Didn't feel a thing not even really the pressure and I watched the whole thing in the mirror. They laid her on my chest and all I could do was cry. I don't even remember them messaging my stomach. They took her to clean her off and what not and my husband of course followed her as I watched the doctor remove the placenta and stitch me (I had a one degree tear) and cometo find out there was a true knot in the umbilical cord. The past two weeks with her have been challenging as a FTM but they also have been the most amazing!