In the meantime, Mom gets sick....

Sometime in November, the midwife was noting that I had high blood pressure at each of my visits. I brushed it off as the additional stress from learning and readjusting to the reality of the baby's chromosomal and hydrocephalus problems. Due to the baby's problems and my rising high blood pressure, I switched doctors in mid-November from the Bronson Midwife Service to Dr. Austin - a perinatologist specializing in high-risk pregnancies.

Dr. Austin put me on high blood pressure medication and told me signs to watch for preeclampsia. I woke up on Sunday December 7 - the day of my Sherwood Family Baby Shower! - with some of these symptoms. Andy and I went to the hospital and after some tests discovered I had HELLP Syndrome.

HELLP Syndrome is a rare and severe form of preeclampsia. HELLP stands for: hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and lowered platelets. HELLP Syndrome most often affects the liver, causing stomach and right shoulder pain. HELLP Syndrome is most dangerous because it can occur before you exhibit the classic symptoms of preeclampsia. It is often mistaken for the flu or gallbladder problems.

After a few days in the hospital and monitoring of me and the baby, the baby was finally not getting enough blood from me on Wednesday, December 10 and we decided it was time for a c-section. I was 34 weeks pregnant. Nora was born at 8:49 pm. She weighed 4 lbs 9 oz. Pretty big for a 34 weeker I think! Just think if she would have made it to full term.

I got sicker for a couple of days and am now on the mend. Nora is doing well and is responding just like any other preterm baby right now! She has been breathing well from birth, she is starting to maintain her temperature well and will soon start to eat!

We don't have a lot of information yet about the path forward on her hydrocephalus, but will learn more soon. She has had a batter of other tests including tests of her kidneys which look great and an echocardiogram on her heart which looks normal. These were things were were concerned about because of her unbalanced translocation.