Baby shower gift basket idea

WHEN I BECAME PREGNANT in 2002, I devised a birth plan that included laboring in the shower and tub and avoiding labor-inducing drugs. When complications started happening during my third trimester, I had no idea what I was in for.

My midwife, Louise, began watching my blood pressure closely when I developed gestational hypertension. I had to go to the hospital twice a week for observation, and I had to monitor my blood pressure at home. If it was higher than 140/90, I was supposed to go to the hospital. I ended up making 10 such visits during my last four weeks of pregnancy.

Louise told me that gestational hypertension could turn into preeclampsia, a serious condition that sometimes can result in seizures, and ordered me on strict bed rest (aside from the necessary hospital visits) for the last four weeks. During my bed rest, my husband, David, was remodeling part of our home and the nursery wasn't complete, and all I could do was lie there.

When I was 36 1/2 weeks along, I went to the hospital for a fetal nonstress test because I was still experiencing high blood pressure. I also had a cervix-ripening procedure (a precursor to an induction) because my blood pressure remained high. This required inserting prostaglandin tablets vaginally to make the cervix pliable and dilated for delivery. Over the next 2 1/2 weeks, I had two more ripening procedures.

When I was at 39 weeks, Louise sent me to the hospital yet again because my blood pressure was still climbing. This time, I had to stay until I delivered the baby.

What next? I wondered, as I lay in the hospital bed for the third consecutive day. I was covered in a rash known as PUPPP (pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy, a common, usually nonserious pregnancy skin condition that can cause itching). My blood tests revealed that I had a low platelet count, a symptom of HELLP syndrome (hemolysis elevated liver enzyme levels and low platelet count). That didn't sound too bad, until I learned that it could lead to liver failure, posing a fatality risk to me and/or my baby.

My midwife joked to David and me that we must have paid for the full hospital tour. We laughed and wondered what acronym would be next--TRS (this really stinks)? But even with all of the uncertainty, David and I knew that we would get through it together.

Because I still was not dilating, I had to have two more cervix-ripening procedures. I did everything I could to avoid being induced, including walking laps around the hospital's sloping landscape. To get things going, Louise broke my water and I asked the nurse to hold off on inducing me. Unfortunately, my contractions weren't strong enough and I had to be induced, so I was given Pitocin. My birth plan was completely out of the question.

At last, on Aug. 30, 2003, my son, Micah, was born with the aid of Louise, an on-call doctor and a vacuum extraction after several hours of labor. We were overcome with relief when we saw Micah for the first time.

David and I are very grateful for the help and support from the hospital staff, especially my midwife. They all demonstrated a tremendous amount of care and patience throughout my difficult pregnancy and delivery. We were overjoyed to take home a healthy baby.

Send your story and photos to: Fit Pregnancy Birth Stories, 21100 Erwin St., Woodland Hills, CA 91367. If your story is printed, we will send you a gift basket of Playtex Baby Magic products (total value $50).

RELATED ARTICLE: Jean Hughes 30, CALIFORNIA

Jean's tips for handling pregnancy surprises:

Remain flexible; unexpected occurrences may happen throughout your pregnancy.

Ask questions and stay informed about what is happening to you.

Focus on the end result--having a healthy baby--rather than how he or she was born.