RE: Update on Darlene

[Guest guest]

Darlene, don't worry about us. I know that these pregnancy complications are very frightening. One thing that may relieve your mind a bit is that, if they do have to deliver the baby earlier, stress, like the pre-eclampsia, often helps the baby's lungs to mature. It's as though the body recognizes that this kiddo is going to have to get ready to face the world soon. The baby may be small for the gestational age, due to the chronic hypertension, but most of them that get to at least 34-35 weeks do well. I'm glad they are watching mom closely. My daughter Ginny developed pre-eclampsia at about 38 weeks with her first pregnancy.

Warning: this is a long birth story; I meant to just talk about pre-eclampsia, but got carried away!

The odd thing is that her b/p never got high; the highest it got, even in labor, was 130/80. But she began to retain fluid & spill protein in her urine. I had her on bedrest & was weighing her & checking her urine every day at home. Every day she gained another 3-4# & the protein in her urine increased. Her b/p was okay & baby sounded fine (I had a special stethoscope that we used to listen to baby; that's when I had good ears!). Neither Ginny nor I wanted her to have an induction, but I knew that's where we were headed. Finally, after 4 days of it getting worse, despite bedrest & the best nutrition & fluid intake possible, I told her we would have to go in to the hospital, for observation, at least. This was Friday evening. She didn't want to, but Mom the midwife prevailed. She was going to call her husband after she went to the bathroom, but while in the bathroom, she hollered that her water had broken. I had her lie down in my bed (a waterbed) so that I could listen to the baby' heart, which sounded great. Then I just took off to get my purse & stuff and left Ginny, like a turtle on its back, trying to get out of the waterbed! She has never let me forget that! Anyway, her husband Mike met us at the hospital & one of the other midwives came in. Ginny wanted me to deliver the baby, but I wanted another midwife there for backup. She was having some contractions, but because of the severe edema & proteinuria, the chief resident working that night felt that we needed to hurry things along, so we augmented her labor. We went in at 11pm & was born at 7am. Mike helped catch her; it was a beautiful birth, in the labor room. Ginny only pushed 20 minutes, had no stitches & went home 12 hours later (with me spending the night). The amazing thing, which I have never seen before or since, was that she diuresed (peed out) all that extra fluid during labor. Usually that happens in the first couple of days postpartum. We kept her in bed, mostly on her left side, all through labor, and every hour or so, she would fill a bedpan, 800-1000cc. And the protein resolved. It started out 4+, which is really bad, and kept dropping until by the time Ginny delivered, there was no protein in her urine! When she started pushing, I was holding her leg & realized the pitting edema was gone. She lost 25# in the first 3 days, from her weight on admission. This was the first time I had helped one of my children, or any close relative, give birth. I later caught Ginny's second baby, a Rose, my daughter Theresa's son , and my niece's son Trent. I used to think it was inappropriate when a doctor would attend his own daughter's birth, but now I believe that it can be one of the most fantastic experiences possible, for everyone involved. I've always had another midwife present, just in case I lost my perspective, but I was able to maintain my professional judgment, while enjoying the personal bond. Theresa actually moved up to Indiana from Texas while she was pregnant with , so that I could help in his birth. For various reasons, I wasn't able to be with her when Sam & were born, and that sisterly competition still kicked in. She always felt hurt that I had caught both of Ginny's babies, but wasn't there for either of hers. I actually missed Sam's by about an hour. So she came up to Indiana, enrolled in my clinic, and I got to catch , with Sam helping me & cutting the cord. My mom was there & was just enthralled. She had her kids back when the moms were knocked out, whether they wanted it or not, so she was thrilled. She even went into the whirlpool room with Theresa & me! It's strange, miraculous really, how the birth process often erases, even if only temporarily, barriers & resentments between family members. And later you can remember back to that special time. is having a difficult time tolerating 's existence right now (she is 13 & he is 6). Awhile back I showed her the pictures from Theresa's labor & birth, with cutting the cord, holding , hugging her mom, etc. She became tearful when I said, you really do love Jon, don't you, keep down? And she just nodded & we hugged. Jon's birth even helped me with my relationship with my mother. I was holding on to a lot of resentment against her, but seeing her enjoyment & amazement of the whole thing, just really moved me. I have no doubt that my mom would have been a natural childbirth advocate, if she'd had a chance. Of her four babies, she was knocked out for all but the third, Billy. He came too fast & she heard him cry & felt him laid on her stomach before they gave her the gas. She was always so happy to have that memory because Billy died at 14 months of pneumonia.

Well, I could keep on talking about pregnancy & birth for hours, so I'd better quit now. I'd still like to write a book about birth someday.

Ramblin' RoseModerator A merry heart is good medicine. Proverbs 17:22 Peek-a-boo FREE Tricks Treats for You! Get 'em!