I was diagnosed with preeclampsia around 25 weeks gestation and the last few weeks of my pregnancy were rough. It consisted of constantly feeling ill, constant doctor appointments and monitoring (at the dr office 3x a week), and just not being able to do anything at all.

By week 33 my symptoms had gotten so bad I was just coasting. I went to my OB appointment that week and told him how I was having bad headaches, fatigue, new nausea/vomiting, and just feeling very off. He noticed my heart rate and the baby’s heart rate were both high on top of it so he sent me straight to labor and delivery. I spent 8 hours in their triage waiting to see if various medications would help my symptoms. They did not. Due to my severe preeclamptic symptoms they decided the best thing for me and baby at this point would be an emergency c section.

At 2:20 am I called my fiance who was home with our kids and told him to drop the boys off at my dads and get to the hospital. He was due to take a flight in only 5 hours for work so if it had been any later he may have been out of state. When he got there they got me in the OR pretty fast. I was absolutely terrified. The nurses and doctors were so kind and tried their best to calm me down. They administered my spinal block (which actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be), checked if I was completely numb and then began with the procedure. Overall it was just scary but not painful. I felt all kind of tugging and pressure which was awful but it didn’t hurt. My fiance was great during it and held my hand. He stayed calm and even tried to peek a few times. Im sure he regretted it bc his face said it all 😂 When they finally reached the baby, which felt like it took an eternity to do, they warned me she probably wouldn’t cry and they would have to bring her right to nicu. But as soon as they removed her she coughed up her own fluid and screamed. The doctors were shocked. I got to see her for a brief moment before they took her off.

After my surgery I had to be on strict 24 hour bedrest with a magnesium transfusion. I wasn’t even able to get out of bed for the bathroom. This 24 hour period was torture because I couldn’t see my baby. It felt like a lifetime. Luckily her dad stayed with her and sent me pictures but it made me so sad I couldn’t be there too. My symptoms and preeclampsia pretty much resolved immediately after surgery. In fact I felt way better after a c-section than I did while I was pregnant. Once I was done with my magnesium I finally got to see my baby.

She is doing so well! She only needed oxygen for a few hours and now she’s breathing completely on her own. She still requires a feeding tube but we are working on breast feeding. She is so beautiful and strong. I am so in love with her