I have some other things to catch up with the pregnancy but lets skip ahead for a minute. It's time for my 35 week check up. Check ups at this point are pretty boring. I had started feeling pretty crappy earlier in the week. My feet had started to swell and suddenly I was having some strange pains in my back. And I just generally wasn't feeling well. I had thought that I had just reached the point where pregnancy started to suck and the aches and pains were kicking in. I was thinking it was going to be a long 5-ish weeks ahead of me.
So Thursday the 18th I leave work early to go to my appointment. It took a sudden turn from the boring stat checking when I had slightly elevated blood pressure for the first time. At first the midwife just wanted me to come back early in the next week and check it again. But she must have had a hunch because then she decided to check the protein in my urine. I could hardly get a few drops out. What pregnant lady can't pee every few minutes?! Me. But it was enough. My urine came back possitive for protein. So it was confirmed. I had pre-eclampcia. So the midwife sent me to the lab for some tests and a 24 hour urine collection.
I went home and told Josh. I was completely bummed because everything had been going so well. We looked up pre-eclampcia and it made since that I had been feeling crappy. The next morning I went to work against the advice of my midwife because no one else was going to be in the office that day. We were already 3 men down and at a plant of 7 that's a pretty big deal. I was not looking forward to collecting and refrigerating my pee at work all day though.
About 10 I got a call from the midwife who said that my labs were back and it wasn't looking good. She said to get to the hospital within an hour with my overnight bag for more testing and to possible have the baby. So I tell the guys and work and run out of work in the mist of craziness. Leaving them with more then a few problems to deal with.
I went home and frantically put together a bag to take to the hospital. When we got to the hospial our nurse said basically that she wasn't sure what other tests they could run and to prepare to have the baby. Sure enough the midwife and doctor came in and said they were going to have to induce. So they started the process. But they said it would be a long process and I probably would have Max until Saturday or Sunday! So we prepared for a long weekend.
I was getting my blood taken frequently to keep tabs on everything. Suddenly it looked like things were getting bad and I might need a c-section. But then maybe I wouldn't need one. Things were going back and forth most of the afternoon. My platelets were dropping and my blood pressure was going crazy. All of the sudden they told me I had to get an epidural right that minute because my platelets were on the verge of being too low for one and if I had to have a c-section I would need one. After that painful experience they started the medicine. After a little bit it was clear that it wasn't working and the bad news was that my platelets were to low to mess with it.
We were still trying to induce the labor. So my dad and Josh's parents went home thinking that it would be a while before we had the babe. Then suddenly Max wasn't doing so good so it was time for a c-section. Luckily my mom hadn't left yet so Josh and I had some extra support. And did they ever move quickly. I had to have general because my epidural wasn't going to work. So Josh couldn't even attend the birth. I was rushed to surgery so quickly I hardly knew what was happening.
Next thing I know I'm waking up back in my room to news that we have a beautiful tiny baby. He was in the nicu but doing good. I was pretty out of it from the pain meds and the magnesium they had to give me. In fact the whole next day I was out of it. Really out of it. People came and went and I couldn't even be part of the conversation. Josh was taking them down to meet Max a few at a time. Finally about 10 I was starting to feel slightly better and it was time to move me from labor and delivery up to a room. And it was also time for me to meet my baby boy.