How it all went down. . . Part 2

A very tired Mom, post hospital discharge. It's kind of a bummer that there is a part 2 to Kathryn's story in how she joined our family. It was frightening and shocking. I am so thankful for proper medical care because without it, our story would have probably ended differently. A week ago on Monday, I went to my OB for a routine follow up post-op check. My blood pressure was a little elevated in the office so the doctor restarted my blood pressure medication and requested I come back in 48 hours for a recheck. The next evening I took my blood pressure at home and noted that it was even more elevated, despite the blood pressure medication. I figured I was just doing too much and promptly showered and went to bed. About 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, I woke with a severe headache and having dealt with high blood pressure with Ryan's pregnancy and again with this pregnancy, I knew this was a bad sign. Took my blood pressure again and it was 190/90! I called the OB on call, was instructed to take another pill for my blood pressure right then and again in the morning. My headache continued and it truly was the worst headache of my life. I had appointment scheduled with the OB that afternoon, got to the office, the nurse took my blood pressure and it was even higher, 198/102. My OB calmly told me not to freak out, but I was being sent directly to the ER to be readmitted to the hospital. I was in denial at this point, not realizing how bad it was.... which in hindsight scares me because I know better, I'm a nurse! I think it was self preservation to keep me from really going over the edge with anxiety. We got to the ER, got shuffled in almost immediately and put on all kinds of monitors. An IV was put in, and it seemed like there were 5 different people in the room at all times, coming in and out doing different things. I was given blood pressure medication via IV right there and then put on an IV medication called Magnesium Sulfate, it's the treatment for pre-eclampsia - basically really high blood pressure, pregnancy related. That medication works well, but makes the person quite sick in while on it. It relaxes all the soft muscle tissue in the body, so by the end of the next day (it was a 24 hour regimen) I was barely able to hold my own weight, I had double vision, slurred speech and felt just awful. But it worked. And that's what counts. What I experienced, post partum eclampsia, is not unheard of, but not all that common either. So, after about a 40 hour stay in the hospital - they put me back in the Childbirth Center in order to let me have Kathryn stay with me so I could continue to breast feed her - we went home and I am on bed rest until my next appointment with my OB on Tuesday. I am thankful for so many things as I sit back and think over all that happened. Korryn was available right then to come get Ryan and care for him, as well as take our dog into her home so we would not have to worry about that. Paul had to stay with me, to be Kathryn's primary caregiver in the hospital, since I was allowed to do nothing but feed her. Paul stepped up and just took over everything and continues to do so, as I sit and "rest". I am not the best patient and not good at being waited on, but Paul has taken on the challenge with no complaints. I will be on blood pressure medication for the next few months at least and I can just hope this is not a long term issue. I feel if I can get active again and drop baby weight (plus the excess I carried into the pregnancy to begin with!) I can deal with this unmedicated, but we will have to wait and see. Thanks to all of you that sent positive wishes and prayers our way while we went through this. We are lucky to have such wonderful people in our life!