I had a very rough pregnancy from the beginning. I was very sick and was losing weight instead of gaining it. At 12 weeks I was diagnosed with partial placenta previa and referred to a specialist. I continually had “all day” sickness and at 20 weeks was admitted to the hospital for a week with a severe kidney infection due to dehydration. At 23 weeks during a visit to my specialist to check the status of the placenta previa I was diagnosed with IC [incompetent cervix] and funneling and put on strict bedrest for the remainder of my pregnancy. At 34 weeks [March 16, 2011] I woke up in the morning and my entire body was swollen. I was taken to the doctor and found that I had extremely high blood pressure and had gained 50 lbs over night due to the water weight. I was admitted to the hospital and placed on magnesium sulfate [worst drug ever]. After 24 hours, my blood pressure was still rising [180/130 at its highest] and it was determined I had severe pre-eclampsia and after an ultrasound that Macy had only gained a few ounces since my 30 week growth scan. I was taken for an emergency c-section and Macy Layne Andrea Phillips was born at 4:09 am on March 18, 2011 weighing 3lbs 13 oz and 16 inches long. She was taken to the NICU after birth. The next day it was determined I developed HELLP syndrome and had a low chance of survival as my platelets were dangerously low, my organs had began to fail, and my blood pressure would not stabilize. Macy had lost over a pound in the NICU and was down to 2lb 11oz but other than that was healthy and fighting. Finally after two days of plans on what to do next and many different medications I began to stabilize. I went home 10 days after being admitted. Macy finally came home 21 days later at 4 lbs after a few of the normal 1 step forward 2 steps back the NICU is famous for. We had incredible nurses and doctors throughout it all and are so lucky and grateful. She is now 2 years old and a smart, stubborn, and beautiful toddler. She has had some respiratory and vision issues as a result of being premature. She has had surgery on both eyes and may need more in the future and has had glasses since she turned 1. She is the light of my life and her daddy’s little girl and we wouldn’t trade her for the world!
