God is in the Details: Part 1 (My pregnancy Story)

Proverbs 3:6

King James Version (KJV)

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

I’m not sure how to start this post really. I’m battling with a sinus infection once again so my head is foggy, but I still feel the need to put this post out there and thank God for always working behind the scenes. God’s guiding hand is a wondrous blessing, and He never fails to show up.

God has brought some very special people to my family right when we needed them. The first was my Obstetrician when I was pregnant with my son. At my 28 week doctor appointment I knew something was wrong when the nurse asked me to lie down and said that she would be right back with the doctor. My blood pressure had skyrocketed. The baby and I had been textbook healthy until that appointment, so it came as a bit of a surprise.

I was at the doctor’s office for a long time as they monitored the baby and my blood pressure. At the time my baby was fine, and my blood pressure came back down to normal levels. My doctor was concerned, but sent me home with orders to rest as much as possible, check my blood pressure daily, and to call immediately if my blood pressure spiked again.

Though I am known for being a stubborn woman who usually insists on keeping up the house through sickness or injuries of any sort, I begrudgingly obeyed the doctor’s orders and rested as much as I could. The next week I went in for another checkup. My blood pressure was still fluctuating and I had trace amounts of blood in my urine, but I wasn’t leaking any protein (which was a good thing). The doctor explained that my symptoms weren’t textbook but he knew that something was going wrong with the pregnancy.

I agreed to get the shots to protect my baby’s lungs should I go into premature labor, and was sent home to face bed rest once again. The bed rest was tough for me, but I did it. I felt fine! Surely this was all a mistake of   some sort – my blood pressure wasn’t staying elevated, it just liked to jump around a bit. I was seriously wondering if the doctor was overreacting. How could I feel healthy yet be told that I could go into labor at any time? It seemed ridiculous to me.

When I woke up from a nap on February 13^th, 2007 I checked my blood pressure for what seemed the millionth time during this ordeal. I can’t remember the exact numbers, but it was a crazy high number. The top number was over 200 and the bottom number over 100. I called the doctor’s office as required and the nurse told me to come right in. My second call was to my husband at his work to tell him what was going on. He told me to wait for him to get home and that he would take me to the doctor. My husband was obviously more aware of the situation than I was, because he told me to bring my hospital bag. I laughed and said that I was sure when I got to the doctor’s office that my blood pressure would have returned to normal and I was just going to be sent home again. I was wrong.

My blood pressure was still high when I reached the doctor’s office. There was more blood in my urine, but I still was not leaking any protein. Doppler and ultra sound showed that the oxygen levels and blood flow levels to my baby were near borderline. I was immediately admitted to the hospital.

My doctor still wasn't sure what to diagnose me with at this point. My blood pressure did go down to near normal levels again, so it wasn’t classic pregnancy induced hypertension. Also since I wasn’t leaking any protein into my urine, it wasn’t preeclampsia. At the time my liver levels were also showing as normal, which made the blood in my urine a bit of a mystery.

Every time my blood pressure read as normal, I apologized for wasting the doctor’s time and asked if I could go home. I felt great! I mean, what I felt was just pregnancy exhaustion and boredom from being on bed rest, right? He said no, that I was at the hospital for what hopefully was the long-haul. (as opposed to pre-term delivery) The doctor still didn’t know what was wrong with me, but said that I needed constant observation.

Of course the first photo I post of myself is the one where I look terrible!
I felt fairly fine, but I think the photo says more with my coloring being off, and how puffy I  look.

On the morning of the 22^nd my doctor informed me that my liver levels hit critical and that I needed to deliver my baby that day. The diagnosis finally presented itself – HELLP syndrome. H is for hemolysis (the breakdown of red blood cells), EL is for elevated liver enzymes, and LP is low platelet count. God held off the full symptoms and protected us just long enough for my baby to grow and be able to survive without any major problems. I never went into labor, never felt a single labor pain, and had no idea that my baby and my body were in distress.

My boy was born by cesarean section at 31 weeks gestation. He weighed in at 3 lbs. 11 oz. and has always been a fighter and an optimist. Even with the steroid shots while pregnant, his lungs weren’t fully developed and he spent five long weeks in the NICU due to Infant Respiratory Distress Syndrome (IRDS). I was hooked up to a magnesium drip and my liver levels soon returned to normal.

The end results are pretty great – my son has had no complications from being a preemie and was the second tallest boy in his preschool class this year! He grew fast and strong, and has more than made up for his early start in life. My doctor warned me that I would probably have high blood pressure later in life, and one year after my son’s birth I was diagnosed with mild hypertension. I consider it a small price to pay for a healthy child, and would do it again in a heartbeat.

At my six week post-op appointment, my doctor informed me that he officially retired from the obstetrician side of his job, and that he was going to be a gynecologist only until full retirement. He said that he wanted to be at home in bed with his wife each night instead of driving back and forth to the hospital at 2am for labor calls. My son was one of his very last deliveries.

I truly believe that God hand-picked this doctor for me and my son. Since my symptoms weren’t consistent or textbook, another doctor may have just downplayed them instead of being so watchful. I was certainly downplaying my own symptoms – perhaps I was in denial, but my doctor was concerned and worked hard for a positive outcome. I believe that God orchestrated the entire thing so that my doctor was still in practice until my delivery.

Sometimes we don’t even know that we need him in certain situations, but God knows everything and is working behind the scenes for those who love him. I know that I am definitely thankful to him for that and will sing his praises to all who will listen.

What has God done for you when you didn’t even know he was working behind the scenes?

~This Glorious Day~

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