HELP: after giving birth, I urinated out 15 liters of fluid
Until 27 weeks, I had a pregnancy for which I was truly grateful
At the beginning of week 28, I started experiencing some minor ailments. My blood pressure was fluctuating quite a bit, and sometimes I didn't feel very well. I wasn't worried though. The little girl was doing fine; she was moving enough, growing adequately, and everything was as it should be. All the ultrasounds we had were normal. She showed that she was an exceptionally strong and healthy girl.
On Thursday, January 31
I went to the hospital for a check-up of my blood pressure. I had been admitted a few times before due to high blood pressure. The little girl was doing very well in my belly. On the CTG's, she showed that her heartbeat was nice and regular. That day I felt a bit flu-ish and not very fit. I didn't think we had to worry about the little one. I even told my boyfriend: 'You don't need to come along. I'll be right back!' Unfortunately, my blood pressure was 140/100. This was too high. Consequently, the midwife decided that I had to submit a urine sample and have a blood test. After I had done that, I was connected to the blood pressure monitor for half an hour, so they could check if the blood pressure remained high. Luckily, it dropped quickly and I was allowed to go home. They would call me if something came up in the tests.
Full of good spirits, I went home
I also reassured my friend so he wouldn't worry. When I got home, I laid down on the couch until the phone rang. It was the midwife. She had spoken to the gynecologist and they decided to admit me because there was protein in my urine. God, I was so disappointed. I called my friend and my mother-in-law drove me to the hospital. The plan was for me to collect urine for 24 hours. Secretly, I remained hopeful that I would just be able to go home the next day. But unfortunately, Jeroen and I were told the next day that I couldn't go home and that I had to stay until the baby was born. The days went by slowly. The baby continued to show on every CTG that she was doing well and I also continued to feel good. The doctor even said that if it continued like this, I could go home for a day to do something fun with Jeroen.
Unfortunately, things went wrong on the night of Monday, February 4th
I started to experience severe pain in my upper abdomen and the pain kept getting worse. I could no longer lie down, sit, or stand. The pain medication I received did not work and I could no longer sleep. At that point, I was reconnected to the CTG and had my blood taken again. From then on, I was in a daze. I called my boyfriend out of bed and told him he had to come. Things moved very quickly after that. As the pain kept worsening and they couldn't do much more for me at this hospital, everything was urgently set in motion so I could go to Rotterdam. There, they could provide the care I needed, but also the care the little girl would need if she was born prematurely. It turned out I was slowly developing HELLP syndrome. I was unable to process the baby's waste products and was essentially poisoning my body. I had symptoms like fluid retention, upper abdominal pain, and high blood pressure. HELLP is really a kind of silent assassin. Eventually, the liver and kidneys start to function less well and the blood pressure fluctuates enormously.
My platelet levels were not stable
And that meant that the baby couldn't be delivered yet. They had to buy time. I fought for my own life, but also for that of the little girl. After a few days, my platelet levels stabilized. Unfortunately, I suddenly developed a high fever because the IV was getting infected and magnesium was leaking under my skin. The doctors saw on the CTGs that our girl was also affected by it. This is really the last thing you want to hear as parents. Eventually, they used an ultrasound device to look for a usable vein to insert my new IV. It was excruciatingly painful. I screamed out in pain and I believe the frustration of the past few days came out. The helplessness, sorrow, and worries came pouring out. It was enough. I said so at that moment. Thank God, the doctor indicated that I would have an emergency cesarean section. Jeroen couldn't join me in the OR. He had to watch from another room because I was going under general anesthesia. This was something I was really upset about.
At 6:02 our beautiful daughter, Vienna Fay, was born healthy at 30+2 weeks weighing 1395 grams
The days after I slowly started to recover. My liver and kidneys began to function again. On the first day, I had already passed nearly 15 liters of fluid! I really didn't realize I was so sick. Vienna was doing very well and was allowed to go to our local hospital after four days. There, she made great progress. Eventually, seven long weeks passed before she could finally come home with us. It was terrible having to leave her behind each time. The well-known pink cloud was nowhere near me.
Meanwhile, Vienna is already nine months old and growing rapidly. She is always cheerful and makes it clear what she wants. Things are also getting better for us, but this intense period really still needs to be processed. We will get through this as a family. I am working on my EMDR therapy. It's moving in the right direction, but I am still far from where I want to be. It will come in time.
SANE
