For those who followed my first pregnancy journey, I'm sorry I didn't blog my second! Having one toddler and trying to find time to blog just seemed almost impossible. On top of that, I wanted to keep most of my pregnancy private because it was a lot for me. However, I decided maybe it was time to share my journey of my second experience. I actually am not 100% comfortable doing so BUT I realize there are SO many women out there who go through so much during pregnancy and postpartum and keep it all in. If we share our experiences then maybe we can all feel a little bit more comfortable with our journey and it won't be something we are so ashamed or sadden of? Not sure if my story will help, but I'm going to put it out there.
Last fall we found we were pregnant. I ended up passing out in the hallway of my parents bedroom because I was just so dizzy. I had no idea what was going on. I wanted to go to the hospital but was too dizzy to even move. I got an IV and some nausea medicine and eventually felt well enough to sleep a few hours through the night. The next day I went straight to the doctor. They ran a bunch of test on me and were even going to do a CT scan on my brain. Right as we were getting ready to leave (didn't complete the scan yet), the doctor came in and said, "you're pregnant!" What???!! Hah. I was SHOCKED. Absolutely shocked. We wanted another child so I was completely fine by it, but just not mentally prepared! From there we began the process of doctor appointments. The first one went fine and we were on our way to another smooth pregnancy... not! At 11 weeks, I had just completed a genetic screening test. My first one was fine so I assumed this one would be too. I got a phone call around 8pm from a doctor (not my normal doc but someone filling in that evening). He said to me one of the test results came back abnormal and that I needed to come in for further testing. He said the results for my PAPPA were off and there was a potential risk my child could be born with Trimosy 13 or 18. I had no idea what he was saying, so of course I asked.. what the heck does that mean?! Over the phone he explained to me that if the baby I was carrying happened to have this disorder, then the likelihood of him or her living a day or two was small. WHAT?! My heart broke into a million pieces. I couldn't even wrap my brain around the words. That night was rough and I'm positive I didn't sleep at all. I went in the next day for more testing and was told I had to wait 2 weeks to get any results. TWO WEEKS to find out if I was carrying a baby who may not live. It was by far one of the hardest times of my life. Not even sure how I got through it... Two weeks went by and I finally got the news that the test result was a false positive, meaning that they were 99% sure my baby did not carry this disorder. Thank GOD! However, I was still off with the hormone PAPPA. I don't know much about that hormone except that it is only present while pregnant. Trust me, I tried googling every reason for why it was low and came up with nothing. Anyways, because of this result, I was prone to another pre-term delivery, preeclampsia, and/or stop in fetal growth development. Therefore, the docs had me coming in once a month to see the high risk doctors and get a fetal growth ultrasound. Basically they needed to keep measuring the baby to make sure it was growing. Again, a hard one to take down... but I did it. It's hard to not blame yourself for things like this especially when you try so damn hard to be healthy... but like I tell my clients, you can only be in control of so much. Health issues happen but it does help to be on the healthier side. So here we were, thinking the worst was behind us.. just taking it week by week and praying to make it to 27 weeks (when babies are considered viable) and then my 20 week anatomy scan comes around. I am a very positive person so I had no doubt things would be fine.. but they weren't. The doctor told me my cervix had shortened since my last birth and that I might have to have a special procedure done (cerclage) and be on bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy because there was a high risk of preterm labor. I was devastated. Everyone seemed to keep telling me I was going to have a preterm baby. I was already taking shots of progesterone weekly (in my glute!) to help prolong my labor so what more could I do? I was actually so stressed from all this negative feedback that I put myself into false labor and had to go to the hospital. I really thought I was in labor as I was having back contractions. After being monitored for hours, they determined it was false and that stress was putting me in this pain. I didn't even know that was possible! It's true though- stress really can mess with your body! After a month of weekly check ups, the doctor said I was going to be OK with my cervix but needed to be monitored closely and bi-weekly from there on out..Everyone at the doc's office knew me by name! Every week that went by, I thanked God. I really was having a hard time mentally getting through each week and was surprised when a new week approached. 27 was my first goal, then 32 then 33.. etc. When I hit 34 weeks I thought my water broke. I was going to the doc the next day so I waited. She told me I needed to go to labor and delivery right away as she noticed things had changed down there. She also wanted me to get the steroid shot for preterm lung development because she was convinced that baby was coming that day. After hours at the hospital and miserable/painful tests, they told me I could go home? What??! Go home? I was SHOCKED. I really thought the baby was coming that day! So I went home and tried to mentally recoup. Every day after that was a surprise. I am not sure how I made it passed 37 weeks! However, when I hit 37 weeks I became very ill. I wasn't sure what was going on. I was violently vomiting for 24 hrs. I ended up going into the hospital (again) for severe dehydration. It ended up being an awful stomach bug that broke blood vessels in my eyes and face. I called myself a monster. Thankfully, it didn't effect the baby (just my appetite for a week). I ended up going in at 38.5 weeks because I was having contractions. After being monitored they told me I wasn't progressing in labor and that I should go home. Before I left they wanted to do an ultrasound to check the baby. It was then that the doctor realized there was almost no fluid around the baby and that I needed to be induced that day to get the baby out. So I was admitted and later that day our beautiful son was born... healthy and strong! I did have a reaction to the Picton just like I did with my first. A million doctors came rushing in at one point because his heart rate had dropped for 7 minutes. They were rolling my bed out of the room and rushing me over to the OR for an emergency C- Section. All these doctors talking over each other and me with a breathing mask on flipped over not knowing what was going on. They gave me a shot to bring his heart rate back up and it worked but BOY was that the scariest thing ever... even though I had experienced it once before. Thankfully, I did not have a C-section after that scare and the baby came shortly after. All in all, I am so thankful that everything turned out OK. I would do it all over again to know I get a healthy baby boy at the end. They are sending my placenta off to find out if it had a small leak in it or if the PAPPA was the cause of the lack of fluid. Still waiting on the results. Pregnancy can be so hard on the mind and body and sometimes we don't realize it. I want others to know that you are not alone and that it's OK to speak up about your experiences. You never know, you might find someone who went through a similar situation who can relate to your experience. For questions on pregnancy exercise, nutrition or postpartum fitness or to share your experience with me, please email me at [email protected]. In good health, Cristina
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AuthorCristina Panagopoulos is the owner and founder of CW Physique, an in-home personal training and nutrition company. She has been in the fitness industry for over a decade and loves helping others transform their lives. She is certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a personal trainer and metabolic coach along with American Fitness Professionals & Associates certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant. Over the years, Cristina gained specialty certifications through the American Council of Exercise for Orthopedic Exercise and Pre and Post Natal Exercising. Cristina started this blog as a casual and personal journey through her experiences of pregnancy and later on motherhood. She wants to educate females on proper fitness and nutrition who are going through pregnancy and motherhood. For more information, please email Cristina directly at [email protected] Archives
October 2016
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