So I've seen alot of "birthing stories" and mine was a little different and some people mentioned I should write about it. So here we go.
My pregnancy was hell. I was super sick, travelling to the city constantly for fetal assessments - originally tests suggested he would be born with spinal bifida. That was cleared but I was unable to keep anything down regardless of the meds I was one and gained next to no weight my entire pregnancy and they just kept telling me he was "too small" and "below average" for how far I was. Liam was due on July 25th. On June 18th at my appointment in Winnipeg I was finally cleared to deliver in Dauphin. A week prior the doctor in Dauphin for the most part had also finally got my illness under control and we were on the right track.
June 28th I was working still on the ambulance because I was tiny and my job wasn't bothering me. But that day was different. I had aches and pains but I thought pregnancy was starting to catch up with me and this was normal. That evening I went home and was going to bed early because I had an early transfer in the morning. When I laid down to go to bed at about 10 pm tears started streaming down my face. I was feeling the worst pain I had ever felt across my chest. So I was helped onto my side which changed nothing. So I started walking around the house trying any piece of furniture for comfort. Nothing helped. I called the maternity ward and they suggested the ER but it didn't sound pregnancy related. So I continued to move around my house desperate for sleep. Took a magnesium supplement and tylenol to try and help with no relief. Finally at about 1 am I couldn't breath because the pain had become so intense. So I got in my vehicle and drove myself to the hospital - yes being a paramedic and having responded to dumbasses that drive themselves to the hospital I should know better. I got in plenty of shit for it. But you know....
So I was triaged and brought in immediately. My blood pressure was extremely high which was never once an issue thru my entire pregnancy. The doctor started pressing on my stomach and I was balling my eyes out in pain. I don't believe in 10/10 pain... But I was certainly in 9/10 pain. I was then brought to the maternity ward where I was immediately given morphine and put on a monitor to monitor Liam. At this point I was sending messages about dinosaurs... I was feeling pretty good. I had never had morphine prior and it was doing the trick. I called our supervisor. I did the calculations and I was going on that 5 am transfer I was just going to get my partner to drive to our destination for a little extra time to let that morphine wear off. Turns out our supervisor that night was our director.... Our big boss. I don't remember the conversation well because I was pretty high but I was told I was being marked as sick and not going in despite my determination.
Morning came and the doctor assistant came in saying they suspect I have gallstones but the ultrasound machine was down so I'd have the be transported to Brandon. So I decided to message my family and tell them I was in the hospital and not to worry. My sister was worried and was wanting to start driving to Brandon. She also asked if it was maybe HELLP syndrome. I explained the doctor said it was just likely gallstones. About 20 minutes later my doctor came in with his assistant and told me I had a rare syndrome called HELLP syndrome and I needed to go to Winnipeg.... So get someone to pack a bag because they want me out ASAP. So I texted my sister to tell her she was right and called my friend Jade and asked her to pack a bag for me. I did not know what HELLP syndrome was so I just told her to pack a blanket just incase otherwise it was just some of my things for what I thought would be maybe a one night thing. My nurse came in to start a new IV because mine had gone interstitial, then another nurse came in and said "I'll finish this you have to go talk to the life flight doctor" so I asked if they had a baby going out. The nurses response was "no hun it's for you" I started crying because that was the moment I realised I was not okay. Jade came and brought my bag and spoke with my doctor who said he wanted me out already. There were no ambulances in town. Gilbert plains was posted here and they were a PCP crew and the weather was not good so it was sounding like life flight couldn't fly. So Jade offered to come in early to transport me. So I tried calling my manager there was no answer. So I called my big boss that I last spoke with while I was high as a kite. He approved Jade and her partner to come in 5 hours early to take me in by ground. So they went and got an ambulance and off I went. I had my coworkers asking if I was okay which I replied I felt fine because I did. Little did I know my blood work was not fine. ... And okay I was also told I was basically dying. But! I didn't feel like I was dying. So we arrived at HSC, I gave my friends a hug goodbye and Jade gave report to the nurse who after hearing my blood work told her I was having my baby today which I found out later in a snapchat message. Right after they left a nurse and doctor came into my room telling me my body was basically done with the pregnancy and the baby needed to come out or I would die. So they checked me and his head was where it needed to be but I was only 2cm dilated. My sister was then finally let in the room and they made the decision to induce me after explaining a ton of things that were not going good and my options for pain control based on blood work. Oh and that I could not eat... Which sucked because I had not eaten for over 24 hours already. So after they induced I was brought upstairs into a new room. It looked as if it was like the ICU of the woman's hospital - I had a one on one nurse that was in my room the entire time with her computer and everything. I was having induced contractions that I did not feel at all. My dad was downstairs in the waiting room. Finally at like 1am or something my sister told my dad to go home and we tried to get some sleep. They checked my blood work every hour. I had finally fell asleep and at 430 am this crowd of people stormed into my room - doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists etc at one point I think there were 20 people in my room. I was told my platelets were too low and the baby was not doing well so they were going to do a spinal because it was too late for an epidural and we were on the verge of general anesthesia and that I was having a c section... Now. Like right now. I had to sign papers while a nurse was putting stockings on me, I got some sort of needle. It was a bit of a blur I didn't really understand what was going on before I was being wheeled into the OR. Next thing I knew I was sitting on an OR table with my head in a nurses chest while she was coaching me to breath as multiple needles were going into my spine. Then they laid me down, my sister was in scrubs and let in and I was puking in a kidney basin in complete shock. They inserted a catheter and cut me open still puking away. All of a sudden I heard crying, was told to look up, there was a baby then it was gone and all I could hear was counting. I guess they were counting supplies to make sure they didn't leave anything in my abdomen. And then there was a baby right by my head. So I was trying to focus on my adorable baby but kept having to turn my head to puke. I don't really remember being transferred to the other bed. But I was... And I was handed my baby and was told to breast feed not that I had a clue what I was doing since I had no intention on having a baby at this point. I also couldn't feel from like my chest down... So I was pretty distracted trying to move my toes and nothing seemed real. But it was. I had my son. My healthy adorable son and my sister who I think was also a bit in shock with everything that occured.

- I did NOT have preeclampsia or eclampsia
- I did NOT have elevated blood pressure at any point during my pregnancy.
- I had alot of stressors during my pregnancy which some doctors suspect was a factor others suspect was not.
- when I drove to the hospital I was in 9/10 pain, short of breath, had blurred vision, felt faint.
- My first set of labs came back with all the signs of HELLP syndrome. The second doctor caring for me the next morning caught it and I was told I was lucky he did.
- Liam and I had to stay at HSC until my lab work improved.