This is the third and final installment in my series about the journey to becoming a parent. In the first article, I shared the emotional and physical struggles of conception. The second article detailed the trials of a tough pregnancy, marked by complications and uncertainty. In this piece, I delve into the challenges of preeclampsia and postpartum recovery, highlighting the highs and lows of labor, delivery, and the turbulent weeks that follow. For anyone navigating a similar path, this story offers a glimpse into the resilience required and the joy that makes it all worthwhile.
The Birth: A Journey with Preeclampsia
Of course, the story of the Nola Nerd Baby leads us to the birth and postpartum period. Our baby was due on March 9th, 2018. Everyone says that first babies tend to stay in longer, so I hoped to give birth on 3/11. 311 is one of my favorite bands, and I celebrate 311 Day every year (usually by going to their concert in New Orleans, but this year it was in Las Vegas, and I was about to give birth), so having a 311 baby sounded awesome. I do not plan on having another child, so this was my one shot! I joked that I would cross my legs until the eleventh so I could have my 311 baby.
Early Signs of Preeclampsia and High Blood Pressure
During January, I started having doctor’s appointments every other week to every week. And as the weeks went on, my blood pressure started getting higher and higher. I also started monitoring it at home, and I would routinely get readings in the 150s/90s. Although I did not feel bad, my doctor began to worry about it.
High blood pressure is the number one sign of preeclampsia, and it can be fatal to the mother and the baby. Other risks include seizures, organ damage, HELLP syndrome, and placental abruption. The hospital conducted two non-stress tests to make sure everything was okay with the baby (which it was), but my doctor warned me to be prepared to have an early delivery. When I went to my appointment on February 19th, my doctor told me I should come the next day to be admitted to the hospital to prepare to have my baby. Thanks, blood pressure. So much for my 311 baby!
Hospital Admission and Induction
We arrived at 6 pm on the 20th. I had no idea what to expect. I have an extremely low tolerance for pain, and the thought of labor and birth scared me to death. In fact, the thought of an IV frightened me. I had an IV once before, when I did an outpatient surgery to remove a cyst from under my chin. I had a panic attack and needed “happy drugs” (not sure what they were, that is just what the nurse called them) to calm me down.
Needless to say, I was terrified of getting one again. I had plenty of blood work while pregnant (three-hour glucose test, anyone?!), but this was something that stayed in your skin. Just the thought of it made me feel sick.
The one thing I prayed for, besides a healthy baby, was that anything dealing with needles and pricking me would go quickly and smoothly. I had such a horrible pregnancy; this could help make up for it, right? When the nurse attempted to give me the IV in my left hand, my veins blew. I was already crying pretty hysterically. Then she tried my right hand. They blew again. At this point, I’m on the verge of fainting. She then said she was calling in a pro nurse who was the best at IVs.
Not only did that nurse come, but a few others did as well. My vision was going in and out, and I was swaying back and forth. One of the nurses asked me my name, and I didn’t even answer because I physically couldn’t. The nurses looked at my husband, and he said, “She is almost passed out! Put in the IV now! She won’t feel it!” They put it halfway up my left arm, and luckily, my veins behaved.
Eventually, my senses returned, and I was able to process and understand the game plan. They gave me Cytotec to soften my cervix and to induce contractions to begin labor. I was maybe one centimeter dilated when I came to the hospital. Every time my doctor or a nurse checked me, I cried in pain. If it hurt this bad with just fingers, I shuddered at the thought of pushing a baby out! I spent the entire next day just taking Cytotec and having people recheck my cervix and such. Not much was changing, and the baby was still high up in the womb. She had never dropped.
Inducing Labor with Pitocin
That evening, my doctor said the nurses would start Pitocin at 6 am the next morning. Pitocin is the synthetic version of oxytocin, a natural hormone that helps your uterus contract during labor—that jumpstarts labor, which meant that we would probably have our baby that day, February 22nd. We were excited, but the closer I got to actual labor, the more terrified I became. Thus far, even though the monitors I was hooked up to showed that I was having contractions, they were so minor that I could not feel them. I loathed to think what an actual contraction felt like.
After the administration of the Pitocin into my IV, I went back to sleep.
Around 9:30 am, I went to the bathroom, which is an ordeal when you are hooked up to stomach monitors, a blood pressure cuff, a finger cuff, and an IV machine. Kurt helped walk me there, and when I got up from the toilet, more water came out. And then more. “I think my water just broke!” I exclaimed to Kurt. All of a sudden, I was hit with the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. I was grabbing onto the railing in the bathroom, begging Kurt to get a nurse. As he walked me back to the bed, more water came out, and I was doubling over in pain again.
Epidural Challenges During Labor
The nurse came in and told me that they needed to empty two bags of saline solution into my IV before they could give me the epidural, since I was literally crying for one. After fifteen or so minutes in bed, every new contraction hurt worse than the one before it. I was on my side, hanging on and squeezing the bed railings, praying that they would end quickly and my epidural would be swift. The anesthesiologist finally arrived, and they told me that I had to sit up so he could have access to my back. The nurse helped me up during the all-too-brief break between contractions, and the anesthesiologist started his work.
As the anesthesiologist was putting in the epidural, my contractions felt like they were ripping me in two. Those blessed nurses were helping me in any way they could. One had her forehead pressed against mine, calming me down and telling me to breathe, as I squeezed a pillow. They told me the epidural was inserted and I should start feeling relief soon. As the minutes ticked by, nothing was happening. They laid me down on the bed and asked me if I could still feel my feet. Yep, I sure could! They called the anesthesiologist back, who seemed entirely sure that I must be lying.
Nope, these contractions are not a joke! The nurses informed him that they suspected the machine administering the pain medicine was malfunctioning and needed to be replaced. The anesthesiologist, who is an older man, says he would like to “troubleshoot” first. And by that, he meant stick me, restick me, and restick me some more to see if a different spot would work better. I am still in agonizing pain, and the nurses were getting more and more upset for me. His intern (maybe? not exactly sure, I was in a lot of pain, after all) started to tell him that perhaps they should switch out the machine. Still, the anesthesiologist wanted to try who knows what else first before finally agreeing to switch to a new machine.
Every time a new contraction hit, I would cry out in pain and he would say, very condescendingly, “Is it me? Did I hurt you?” At that point, I did not even know what he was doing back there, and I could not even answer him, so the nurses kept briskly replying, “NO, she is having horrible contractions!”
Finally, FINALLY, with the new machine, I started to feel relief. The nurses were livid at the anesthesiologist because if he had listened to them from the get-go, he would have saved me a lot of pain. I was lying on my right side, and it was hard for me to turn onto my back (especially with all the needle prick points). The medicine apparently all flowed down to the right side of my body, so while that side became numb, the left side was still very much in pain.
Have you ever experienced contraction pain on only one side of your stomach? It is a very weird and somewhat painful sensation. Eventually, that side went numb too, and at that point, I was so exhausted that I fell back asleep. I honestly have no idea how women have children without medicine. My low pain tolerance self felt like my entire body was splitting in half. Maybe that is what happens when you go from a 0 to a 10 on the pain scale in a matter of minutes. There was no gradual increase of contraction pain…just BAM!
Delivery: The Arrival of Nola Nerd Baby
At some point (2 pm? 2:30 pm?), they woke me up and conducted another check. I could feel nothing below the waist, and I was pretty high on the medicine, so I was extremely loopy. They told me that my baby was pretty much right there, and they could see her head and hair!
This was going to happen soon; they just needed to wait for my doctor to get there (the medical building is attached to the hospital). She arrived, and they had to forcibly move my legs up into the stirrups because they were dead weight. Lights turned on, nurses arrived, instruments were arranged, and I was just chilling.
Finally, my doctor told me to push. Push? I cannot feel a thing! I started making a face and doing what I think is pushing, but am I really? There was no way for me to tell. The doctor and everyone said I did so well so I guess something was happening down there. She had told me only to push three times and then take a break.
Then she told me to push another three times. I guess I did, and they all seemed happy, and my doctor said she thinks if I pushed just once more, my baby would be out. So, I pushed again, and there she was.
After seven pushes, the newest and cutest edition to the Nola Nerd family was born at 3:26 p.m. on February 22, 2018.
They immediately handed her to me for skin-to-skin contact. I was way out of it so I was just marveling that I had a daughter now. My doctor said that she was going to stitch me up (I had a level two tear), and I told her that I could not feel a thing, so she could do whatever she wanted and that I did not need to know what it was she was doing.
Some women talk about using a mirror to watch their babies being born and all that jazz…um, NO! Please do not tell me what is happening. Just do what you need to do and let it be over. Medical stuff makes me squeamish. I did not watch any birthing videos or read extensively about the birthing process. I trusted my doctor and the nurses. They have done it before and will do it again, and I do not need to know about it. I know some women also do not want to be loopy for birth so they can have the full experience of just bringing life into the world…no. Please, give me as much medicine as possible. I have the rest of my life to experience the joy of having a daughter.
As the medicine started to wear off, the pain began to intensify. Did you know that women bleed for weeks after giving birth? Like, blood clot bleed? That is fun. Then, there is going to the bathroom, where you get to use a squirt bottle to clean yourself and special witch hazel wipes. The first time you pass a bowel movement, you are pretty sure everything is just going to fall off. Not to mention the ever-present burning sensation. However, none of that mattered too much because at that point, I had my daughter. And she was absolutely perfect.
It is amazing how all of that mental stuff almost immediately disappeared with birth. Looking into my daughter’s eyes, feeling her soft skin, hearing her little cries, and seeing her perfect fingers and toes… it made the previous nine months worth every second. I am one of the lucky women who had my prepartum depression turn into postpartum depression.
Usually, this is the end of the story. You go home with your baby, have sleepless nights but loads of cuddles, six weeks end too soon, and you return to work, and all is well in the world. Except…remember that one more twist my body had for me?
Postpartum Recovery After Preeclampsia
We are discharged from the hospital on Saturday, the 24th. The first few days and nights were tiring, but nothing out of the ordinary. I was trying to breastfeed and pump, and her first doctor’s appointment on the 26th went well, even though she had lost 14% of her birth weight. Anything over 10% is a little worrisome, so the pediatrician advised us to start supplementing formula. However, she was jaundice-free, and all of her initial blood work and tests came back with good results.
On Tuesday, the 27th, my in-laws came over to visit. As we were eating dinner at home with them, I suddenly felt like all the energy had left my body. I turned white, my head became foggy, and I could not see straight. I knew something was wrong, but I figured it was just tiredness catching up with me. I went upstairs to lie down because nausea also started to settle in.
As the night continued, however, I sensed that something was amiss. I asked my husband if we could go to the ER. For me, someone who is terrified of hospitals and needles, to want to go to the ER, my husband knew it was serious. At this point, it was after 9 pm, and even though he was supposed to go to work the next morning for the first time since the baby was born, we packed up our four-day-old and headed to the ER.
Postpartum Complications from Preeclampsia
At the ER, my blood pressure was about 198/112. I could barely move. They inserted the IV in me with almost no resistance from me because I was in such a daze. My OB-GYN had said if my blood pressure got high, to do go Labor and Delivery because it is due to the preeclampsia. I told the nurses and the attending doctor multiple times, but they refused to send me up there. The ER doctor diagnosed me with hypertension, talked to me about limiting my salt intake, gave me some Zofran for nausea, and discharged me around 1am.
I felt better at that point (even though my discharged blood pressure was 163/99), so I did not push going up the L&D any further. As the night progressed, my condition worsened again. In the morning, I remember my husband coming in the spare room where I was sleeping on the phone with my OB-GYN. He described that I literally looked like death and could barely move. My doctor said I needed to go to the hospital immediately because I was about to have a seizure or stroke.
My OB-GYN called down to the ER and specifically set up a room for me with instructions. My blood pressure was 217/118. They immediately gave me an IV (which I barely felt) and started me on a magnesium sulfate drip, which prevents seizures.
Eventually, they moved me upstairs to L&D where I stayed until Friday, March 2nd. I sent my husband home with my daughter each night because I hated for her to have to spend time in the hospital. That was the hardest part for me. My baby is five days old and I have to be away from her.
Each night I cried and my husband said he would stay, but I pushed them to go. The nurses checked on me all night, I had to get blood work done each morning, people were just in and out constantly and I wanted her (and him) to settle into a routine.
On Friday afternoon, they discharged me and set me up with Labetalol to help control my blood pressure. Friday I felt pretty good, but by late Saturday night, my at home blood pressure machine was showing readings in the 180s/110s and I was feeling lethargic again.
My husband brought me back to the hospital that night. L&D would not accept me without me going through the ER first and the ER would not admit me. This time, we refused to accept regular ER care because we knew the issue and I really did not need to pee in a cup again.
Thankfully, they contacted my doctor who told them to please admit me immediately and I had another magnesium sulfate drip. This time, the IV was pretty much routine. My husband refused to go home this time, saying he could not bare to leave me again and he knew how hard it was for me to be away from our baby.
After another two days in the hospital, they changed my medicine to Procardia and discharged me on Monday, March 5th. The ER nurses said they hoped to never see me again (hospital joke) and I said goodbye to my friend who delivered the food to the rooms (because we talked a lot during my stints there).
On Wednesday the 7th, I went to my OB-GYN for a postpartum checkup and she and her nurses laughed and said they were wondering if I would make it to my appointment or have to go back to the hospital (I had to cancel two appointments for those hospital visits). Blessedly, there was no more hospital visits. Even though my blood pressure was still higher than normal, it was not scary high. The Procardia seemed to do the trick.
Coping with Preeclampsia and Postpartum Recovery
Now, almost eight weeks postpartum, my blood pressure is still not back to normal. My doctor doubled my Procardia dosage, only for my feet to swell like balloons, as well as my knees and elbows. I made an appointment with my regular doctor who just lowered the dosage back to its original dose. So far, the swelling has gone down. The top number on my blood pressure is usually in the 120s, but my bottom number tends to go to the lower 90s. I have another appointment on Friday to reassess my situation and see if my doctor wants to change me medicine again.
Support from Nurses and Family
The only cure for preeclampsia is giving birth and most women go back to almost immediately. For some, the symptoms of it can last up to six weeks postpartum. For the chosen few, they will have to take blood pressure medicine for the rest of their lives. It looks like I might be in the latter category. I am just grateful that it did not turn into eclampsia, which is when the woman actually has seizures or a stroke. Thankfully, my OB-GYN induced me early so that my baby came out unscathed, because if she would have still been inside of me when all this happened, one or both of us could have died. Instead, we have a healthy, happy, beautiful little girl who is the light of our lives.
Enough cannot be said about the wonderfulness of the nurses in L&D. They literally held me during my epidural and contractions and made sure not only I was comfortable during my two subsequent hospital stays, but my husband and daughter as well. One of them works at my daughter’s pediatrician office and she was so concerned about my health when we brought our daughter there for an appointment after I was released the last time.
I saw one of them coming out of my OB-GYN’s office last week when I was coming in and she immediately remembered me and inquired about me. This was the one that pressed her forehead to mine while I was having contractions and getting the epidural and I am infinitely grateful for her. We even saw the man who worked in the ER to check us in that same day and he stopped us because he remembered us and asked how we were doing. Who can forget the new mother with scary high blood pressure and a less than a week old baby trudging behind her?
Gratitude Despite Challenges
Those first two weeks of my daughter’s life are pretty much a blur for me. My husband was pretty much a single dad and had to rapidly learn how to care for a baby with pretty much no help. Luckily, he is a natural and I choose to look at it as he had bonding time with our daughter that he probably would not have had otherwise. I was once again reminded at how lucky I was to marry such a kind and loving man who wholeheartedly jumps into untested water and crushes it. Even though it was terrifying at times, like when the ER nurse chastised us for bringing a newborn to the ER because she could catch something. What choice did we have? I could not drive myself and it was an immediate type of situation, where waiting could have caused seizures or a stroke.
Conclusion: Understanding Preeclampsia and Postpartum Recovery
Thus ends my pregnancy journey, from conception to pregnancy to postpartum. It was a long, twisting, hard-fraught road, but it was worth it for my daughter to now be in this world. I do not think I will do this again, however. I am over the moon with my little girl, but having subsequent children can exacerbate the problems, especially because I have an advanced maternal age. If, by some divine intervention, we wind up pregnant again, I would probably cry, but in the end I would love that child as much as I love my daughter; however, I do not plan on actively trying to have another. We are ecstatic to now be the Nola Nerd Trio and cannot wait to start writing blogs about all the awesome kid-friendly activities in and around New Orleans that we can now take part in thanks to our little love. I already have her first two birthdays planned and what cool summer camps of which I would love for her to attend. A whole new world awaits us and we cannot wait for the ride!
TL;DR FAQ: Preeclampsia and Postpartum Recovery
What is this post about?
This is the final installment in a three-part series about our journey to parenthood. It focuses on the challenges of preeclampsia, labor, delivery, and the difficult postpartum recovery period.
What is preeclampsia, and how did it affect you?
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure, which can be life-threatening for both mother and baby. My blood pressure rose dangerously high (150s/90s and beyond). Risks included seizures, organ damage, and HELLP syndrome. This condition led to an early induction.
What was your labor and delivery experience like?
Hospital Admission: I was admitted on February 20, 2018, and given Cytotec to soften my cervix, followed by Pitocin to induce contractions.
Contractions: My water broke the next morning, triggering excruciating contractions.
Epidural Issues: The anesthesiologist struggled to administer the epidural, causing prolonged pain until the machine was replaced.
Delivery: After seven pushes, our daughter was born on February 22, 2018, at 3:26 PM.
How was your postpartum recovery?
Initially, I was discharged and focused on breastfeeding and caring for my baby.
By Day 4, I experienced severe fatigue, nausea, and extremely high blood pressure (198/112).
I was hospitalized twice for magnesium sulfate treatments to prevent seizures. My blood pressure remained elevated even weeks after delivery, requiring ongoing medication.
Did preeclampsia symptoms resolve postpartum?
For most women, preeclampsia resolves after birth, but I continued dealing with high blood pressure and swelling for several weeks. At nearly 8 weeks postpartum, my blood pressure stabilized on Procardia, though I may need medication long-term.
How did nurses and family support you?
Nurses: The Labor and Delivery team was incredible, comforting me during labor and ensuring I was cared for during my hospital stays.
Family: My husband stepped up as the primary caregiver for our newborn while I recovered. His support and love were invaluable.
What was the hardest part of postpartum recovery?
Being away from my baby during hospital stays was emotionally draining.
Managing extreme swelling, lethargy, and anxiety about my health added to the challenges.
For more information, read about the emotional recovery process from the Preeclampsia Foundation
How did you cope emotionally?
Practicing gratitude: Focusing on my healthy baby helped me stay positive.
Leaning on my husband and the medical staff for emotional and physical support.
What advice would you give to others dealing with preeclampsia?
Advocate for your health: If symptoms worsen, push for proper care and follow up with your doctor.
Accept help: Whether it’s from family or nurses, don’t hesitate to lean on others.
Monitor blood pressure post-birth: Pay attention to lingering symptoms and consult your doctor as needed.
Our Journey to Parenthood
The arrival of our daughter was a journey filled with challenges, emotions, and triumphs that we are proud to share together. From our struggles with conception, to surviving prenatal depression, and the preeclampsia and postpartum recovery that followed her birth, each step taught us resilience and strength. We’ve also shared the father’s perspective in supporting pregnancy as a father, highlighting the emotional and practical ways we supported each other. We hope these stories inspire, connect, and provide hope to anyone navigating a similar path.
About The Author
Again, I’m crying! I’m so very thankful that you and Sofia are ok.
Aww, thank you! It is hard to imagine watching your partner go through it and feeling so helpless. Kurt really is my hero!
Wow what an ordeal! So grateful for those wonderful doctors and nurses out there looking out for you! And congratulations again on your beautiful baby girl!