Baby Krew.

Mom almost didn't make it, so I asked her to share the story...

"I was induced on June 26 because of toxemia. I was 36 weeks along. The doctors assumed I would be having a VERY large baby because I was huge...turns out it was all fluid. They started me that night and I had Krew at 2:40 am on Saturday, June 27. He was perfect, he weighed 4 lb 14 oz and was 17 inches long. They ran a bunch of tests on him because he was so small, they were worried his lungs might not be developed. Everything came back perfectly normal and healthy. The labor was normal, just a little long because my body was not exactly planning on having a baby so soon. Because of the toxemia, I was being given an IV of magnesium sulfate. It is used to prevent seizures that sometimes happen because of very high blood pressure. It makes you feel awful (like you have a horrible flu) and they have to keep you on it for 24 hours after you give birth. So I felt like crap all day long Saturday. By about 3 pm that afternoon I was starting to feel like I
couldn't really breath. The nurses checked my vitals and saw that my oxygen was very low, my blood pressure very high, and my pulse was out of control. They gave me some oxygen to see if it helped. It didn't so they kept increasing it. It still wasn't helping, so by now they started to get worried. They called in the respiratory team to come have a look. They thought I must have a blood clot that had moved into my lungs. They ordered a CT. The CT was busy that night with lots of traumas, and they took priority, so we just waited while I tried to breath and not panic. I was starting to feel very congested in my chest and throat. We finally got in for the CT scan by about 7 pm. I was doing really bad by now and I was just trying to stay alive. The scan came back negative for clots. They took me back to my room and I started to cough up pink stuff, which I know now is a VERY bad thing. When this happened, the nurses called a code blue. More nurses and
doctors showed up, all taking blood and giving me new IV's of stuff. My room was very crowded and it spilled into the hallway, where they were now waiting with a crash cart. My family was trying not to let me see them upset, so I would not get upset. By now, I had completely perplexed all of the doctors. They were not sure what was going on, they new my lungs were full with fluid, so they started treating me for pneumonia. They were not sure how or why it came on so fast, so then they assumed I must have swine flu. This is when they took me down to ICU and put me in isolation. Everyone was wearing masks now. They wouldn't let Krew back in the nursery, because he might have swine flu too. So he stayed up in his room with my mom and mother-in-law, while I went downstairs with my husband. Once in ICU, they put a new breathing mask on me that forced air down my lungs and I started to feel better. We tried to get some sleep. Sometime during the night, a
whole team of doctors came in let us know that they figured out what I had. I had a very rare complication that affects 1 in 25,000 pregnant women called a peripartum cardiomyopathy, which led to congestive heart failure. The warning signs are basically the same as toxemia and late pregnancy. I was retaining tons of water, had high blood pressure, was very tired, and short of breath. Everyone feels like that when they are pregnant, right?! Anyways, I was taken off of the swine flu meds, and started on heart failure meds. They did an echocardiogram to see the extent of the damage on my heart, they took x-rays of my chest daily, and did tons of blood work. I stayed in ICU for three days, then moved to a different floor for 1 more day. The sweet nurses up in mother and baby let my mom and mother-in-law have their own room and just take care of Krew. The nurses brought him down to see me in ICU once I was doing better. I was so HAPPY to finally be able to
see him again. My mom took Krew home before I was able to go home. That was hard, but I knew I was where I needed to be to get better. Each day I showed big signs of improvement and was ready to go home by Wednesday. I was very afraid to go home but also excited to see my boys. I still felt very weak and not able to do anything. My new meds made me feel awful, but my blood pressure was back down in the normal range, and I was able to be weaned off the oxygen. We went home Wednesday afternoon armed with 8 prescriptions and all the knowledge we could get from the hospital about my new condition.

The first couple of weeks home were very hard. I had anxiety problems and cried at least four times a day. I was VERY scared. The doctors don't know if I will get better. My heart was only functioning at 26% and it might not ever get better than that. I have had to change my diet so that my body doesn't retain water at all. I have to weigh myself every morning so that I can see if I am retaining water. I have had to learn to accept help from people and to take it easy. The hardest thing for me has been the unknown. I felt very scared that I had this sweet new baby and I might not be around to see him grow up. Little by little I am feeling better, and I have a new hope. I am starting to believe that I have been given a second chance and I am not going anywhere. It has taken me a long time to stop feeling sorry for myself and thinking "why me?" but I am getting there. I definately have good days and bad days but I have an amazing support system with my
family and friends and they have helped me so much.

My husband has been so awesome through this. He has been so helpful and I could not have done it without him. When I was fading at the hospital and trying to breath, he was right there the whole time holding my hand. There were a few times when I seriously thought it would just be so much easier to stop trying and just give up, but then I would hear his voice, telling me he loved me and to keep breathing. He has been so understanding of my daily breakdowns, and has done so much to make things easier for me. He is the BEST!

My mom has also been so great through all this. She still comes up at least four days a week just to help me do laundry or go to the grocery store. She takes Kam (our 4 year old) for me just so I don't get overwhelmed. She is my best friend and I love her to death :) I am so LUCKY to have her! And I LOVE the pictures you took of her with Krew...she of course cried when she saw them ;)"















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