First-Time-Mommy.Com Featured Birth Story: Annabella -Born Just 2lbs at 33 Weeks Due to Preeclampsia

Babies Name: Annabella

Babies Sex: Female

Due Date: 6/6/2013

Babies Birth Date: 4/16/2013

# of weeks pregnant: 33

Type of Birth: Emergency c-section

Babies Stats: 16 inches and 2 lbs and 14 oz

Special Circumstances: Preeclampsia

Parents: Selene & Victor

“When my baby girls was born it was the happiest day of my life but it was also the most terrifying. My baby was born 8 weeks early due to a severe case of preeclampsia.

The week leading up to my daughter being born I was in and out of the hospital practically every other day. When I finally was sent to see a high risk ob/gyn the preeclampsia was severe and I was rushed to the hospital.

When I arrived at the hospital I was put on high doses of magnesium. I was on magnesium for 3 days. After 12 hours I could barely move, I was so weak. They gave me steroid shots to help my daughter’s lungs mature. They sent for a specialist from LA to decide what was going to happen. They specialist wanted to try and keep my blood pressure down so I could make it to 33 weeks and if I were to make to 33 weeks they would try and keep her in as long as they could. They finally took me off all the monitors and off the medicine.

They did everything to keep my blood pressure down, some of my family couldn’t visit me because they feared it would raise my blood pressure. My husband had not left my side since I got admitted to the hospital, almost 4 days, I sent everybody home because I thought nothing was going to happen.

The next morning, nurses kept coming into my room to mess with the baby monitor because they kept losing her heartbeat. I would ask if something was wrong but they said its normal for baby to move away from the monitor. Then my doctor came in to do an ultrasound. The ultrasound lasted an hour, when the doctor said the baby is moving less and less and her heartbeat is starting to drop and we are going to have a emergency C-section. I was alone I had been calling my husband, who had gone to work because I told him everything was ok. I called him so he could rush to the hospital. They took me to the operation room. I kept telling them my husband should be here any minute.

When they were doing the spinal block I couldn’t stop shaking I was scared at the thought that my baby might not be healthy. Then I heard the most wonderful sound, her first cry. I only got a quick peek before they rushed her to the NICU. It wasn’t until 16 hours after she was born did I get to hold her. She was only 16 inches long and only weighed 2 pounds 14 ounces. She was in the NICU for 40 days. She left the hospital weighing 5 pounds. And today she is six months and weighs 15 pounds and measures 24 inches.”