Just looking for a hand hold and any words of wisdom I suppose from anyone who might have had a similar experience.
On Sunday night at 1am at 40.4 weeks pregnant I woke up with the start of contractions which ramped up VERY quickly, so quickly that my beautiful DS2 was born three hours after that first contraction! It was a whirlwind and we almost didn’t make it to the hospital!
The timing wasn’t brilliant as DS1 has been poorly and we’d been in a&e with him only on the Friday night. As I went into labour he was running a high fever so it was awful having to leave him with my mother-in-law.
As me and DH arrived in hospital, my BP was shown to be quite high. If I remember correctly it was something like 150/90 ish. A doctor was called to insert a cannula in case I needed BP meds but none needed to be administered. I also had meconium in my waters and hadn’t realised that my waters had gone so there was a risk of infection.
My pregnancy had been normal and all my appointment blood pressures had been in healthy ranges. I did have a couple of alarming at home measurements 150s-160s/90s-100s which prompted a few trips to triage but BP always stabilised quickly.
Anyway, due to the meconium we were told we would have to be monitored for 12 hours which was fine. Baby’s obs were all great but I had a few more high BP readings mixed with more normal ones.
I was told that I would need to be started on BP meds to see if things stabilised. This was yesterday (although it’s all a bit hazy!). They began taking my BP every few hours and it ranged from 130s/70s to about 145/92.
Last night was a really tough night. Me and DH barely slept as we tried to both squeeze into the single bed and our new son did not sleep much at all. I think I got maybe 2 hours, combined with maybe 3 hours from the night before. I’m exhausted and convinced that the exhaustion/anxiety/desperate need to get home is causing my BP to be all over the place.
As if matters couldn’t get worse, about an hour ago my
husband spiked a fever and started vomiting, clearly having caught what our son had. He headed off home as was clearly in no state to stay and now I’m here alone with my newborn.
We made it very clear to all the staff that our preference is to get home as soon as possible. I miss DS1 so much it makes me cry to even think of him and I feel that being stuck in this miserable environment is having a detrimental impact on bonding and my mental health.
A junior doctor came to see me earlier and just about finished me off. She said that they are having to transition me from the medication I was on as apparently it only works in a hospital setting and are moving me onto a medication I can take at home. Apparently they need to monitor my BP over the next 24 hours to assess the dose. Whilst this does make sense, I literally feel my blood pressure spiking when I see the machine being wheeled into the room! I feel as though it’s never going to be stable whilst I’m in here. I’m getting more and more low and sad. I feel as though my mood is completely on the floor and just keep crying and panicking.
I tried to advocate for myself by asking the doctor questions but she just kept saying she would have to ask her senior consultant as she was just a trainee GP. I asked to see the senior consultant and she said she would get him. He has yet to emerge.
I really feel so helpless. My bloods have ruled out preeclampsia but no one has explained to me what’s actually happening, or explained what this medication I’ve been taking actually is or how it works or what the side effects are. My BP is being taken very infrequently and only once. Last night the reading on my left arm was 168/95 and the reading on my right arm 30 seconds later was 131/78!! When I came in for monitoring during the pregnancy they would take it every ten minutes or so after a period of rest but this isn’t happening here.
I just don’t know where to turn or what to do/say when the doctor comes. I want to go home 😔