From Fertility Struggles to Undiagnosed Preeclampsia: How one family finally received its miracle baby
In honor of American Heart Month Jeri Hoag Photography would like to write about and honor those who have suffered from preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a condition that can present during pregnancy and can be characterized by high blood pressure, protein in the urine, and severe swelling of the hands and feet. When severe, preeclampsia can lead to the shutting down of organs, most often the liver and kidneys. Women who have had preeclampsia are three to four times more likely to have high blood pressure and are at double the risk of suffering from heart disease and stroke. Preeclampsia survivors are also at an increased risk of developing diabetes.
Preeclampsia is a condition that JHP feels very passionate about as its owner and primary photographer, Jeri Hoag, is a survivor. Jeri is also a survivor of HELLP, a condition in which liver enzymes elevate and the platelet count drops. On July 21, 2010 Jeri delivered her precious Mallory who was born sleeping due to a placental abruption caused by her preeclampsia. Jeri’s work as a newborn portrait photographer is how Jeri honors Mallory’s memory.
When Jeri met Heather and learned that she too was a preeclampsia survivor, she knew working with her and photographing her family would be special. Below is Heather’s story written in her own words: her journey to pregnancy, her experience with preeclampsia, her son’s time in the NICU, and what she has learned from her experience as a whole.
“In September [of] 2014 my husband and I began the journey of trying to conceive our first child together. After 6 months of trying, we finally sought out help from a much praised obgyn. I went through a gamut of testing and procedures to figure out why we were not conceiving, but nothing was found to be wrong. 5 months later, we found out we were finally pregnant. Overjoyed, we told our closest friends and family the news. A week later I suffered a miscarriage and lost the baby. 3 months passed and I had just been in the delivery room watching my best friend’s daughter being born, when I got the call from my doctor telling me that there was nothing more she could do for us and that we should look into speaking with a reproductive endocrinologist. Devastated once again, we took the next few months to decide if we wanted and were financially able to go forward with assisted science to help us conceive.”
“In July [of] 2016 we did our first IUI (intrauterine insemination) procedure. The doctors at Midwest Fertility in Fort Wayne warned us that there was only a 10% chance of the procedure being successful the first time, and 2 weeks later, we defied the odds and found out we were expecting. At our first ultrasound appointment though, we were told that there was no heartbeat yet and to come back the following week. The next week we learned the baby had stopped growing and we were going to miscarry yet again. We decided that we were willing to try 2 more IUI procedures and if [they] were not successful, [we] would accept that God’s plan was for us not to have a child of our own.”
“In November [of] 2016 our second attempt was unsuccessful. Our third and final attempt in March [of] 2017 we had a chemical pregnancy and miscarried for the third time in 2 years the day after a positive pregnancy test.”
“After much thought and discussion, and some time to pray and heal, we looked into IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). Many trips to Chicago were made, along with 2 very painful procedures to increase our chances of success. The egg retrieval process was taxing both physically and mentally, with my husband having to give me 3 shots a day in my stomach for a week. I drove every day to Chicago for 2 weeks for evaluations, getting up at 4 am to make it to my 7 am appointment, to then turn around and immediately drive back to Indiana to go to work for half days at my teaching job.”
“In early November [of] 2017 we had our egg retrieval appointment and only produced 5 eggs. Hopeful, we left, awaiting the call the following day to tell us how many eggs fertilized. After what seemed like an eternity, we got the call late in the afternoon telling us that none of our eggs made it overnight.”
“Infertility is not for the weak. Throughout this journey [it] tested our marriage and almost tore us apart. Knowing we had enough funds left to try one last time, we decided to go back to Midwest Fertility in Fort Wayne and once again go through the IVF process. With a lot of prayers [and] support from friends and family, we gave everything we had left in us and ended up transferring our day 5 blastocyst on June 20th, 2018. To our delight, a week later we got a positive pregnancy test and heard our baby’s heartbeat just a few weeks after.”
“Each moment of the pregnancy was difficult as it was not without complications. I had morning sickness the entire pregnancy, and my blood pressure readings were high. At an appointment in November I had mentioned to one of the doctors at my obgyn that I was concerned about possible preeclampsia symptoms I was having, but was told that it was way too early for signs of that to be happening, and was assured that it was just normal pregnancy symptoms. In December I noticed that my feet and legs were starting to swell up and I was unable to wear any of my shoes or boots. Upon speaking to the doctor about this concern, she told me that there weren’t any other symptoms to suggest something was wrong, and to try compression socks to help with the swelling. Although my blood pressure was in the 130’s, it had been so the entire pregnancy so it did not raise any alarms. We went to visit my family for Christmas and my legs and feet swelled so terribly that I could no longer wear flip flops. My husband became concerned, but I attributed it to the large McDonald’s fries I had been consuming (my current craving!), and the fact we had been in the car for 6 hours with only 2 stops for us to stretch.”
“The next few nights I was unable to sleep. I would wake up in severe pain across my abdomen and in my back so much so that I could not lay down, sit up, or sleep. After hours of feeling miserable, both nights the pain would eventually subside and I once again felt fine. Upon returning to Indiana, 3 days later I went to get my hair done in the afternoon and noticed that I once again had pain in my abdomen area. I figured I had heartburn and took some TUMS before going to dinner. At dinner I began to feel worse and the pain increased. We left early and on the ride home I began to feel nauseated. I took more TUMS when we arrived at home and called the on-call nurse. She asked that I go to the nearest place to get a blood pressure reading. I drove to Martin’s and discovered that my blood pressure was 204/118. She told me to immediately get to labor and delivery at Elkhart General. My husband drove us in record speed there, as I began throwing up every 30 minutes. We were admitted quickly and I gave a blood and urine sample as we waited for an ultrasound of my gallbladder and pancreas. When the results came back the doctor told us that I had severe preeclampsia and that we needed to deliver the baby via emergency c-section right away, or both the baby as well as my life would be at risk.”
“The next few hours were a blur as they prepared me for transport by ambulance to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, and within 30 minutes of arriving there, [I] delivered my son at 30 weeks old. I was able to see him for just a minute before they whisked him away to be placed in an incubator.”
“Seeing as I was at risk for a stroke or heart attack due to the severe preeclampsia, I was unable to be with my son for the next 36 hours. I went to a recovery room where I was given a magnesium drip and was confined to a hospital bed by a catheter, blood pressure cuff, compression monitors attached to both of my legs, and an IV. I was monitored by a nurse constantly, and finally was told I could move to be in a room with my son. We spent three and a half days together before I was discharged.”
“The emotional strain is just as taxing as the physical strain when you are forced to have your baby earlier than planned. I was not able to provide him with the immunities that the third trimester gives. I was not able to watch as he made my belly move, or have a maternity photo shoot to remember my pregnant belly. To watch your child hooked up to monitors, an oxygen cannula, and an IV; weighing only 2 pounds 15 ounces, looking so tiny and frail is so difficult to do. I was at the hospital every single day watching my son grow and make strides towards being able to come home. I wish I had trusted my instincts and went to the hospital over Christmas. Had I went sooner when my symptoms started showing, I may have been able to avoid giving birth 10 weeks early as they may have been able to combat the preeclampsia before it got so severe.”
“Trust your body and your heart. If you feel that something isn’t right don’t let others around you tell you that you are worrying too much, or that it is ‘just pregnancy symptoms’ that you are having. Become knowledgeable about the signs of preeclampsia and pay attention to your body and what it may be trying to tell you.”
“I am thankful everyday that my son and I both survived as not all mothers are as lucky as I am. I thank God every day for allowing us to get through what we did. 59 days in the NICU, and my big miracle is a smart and healthy 1 year old who weighs 18.5 pounds and is thriving!
If you would like more information on American Heart Month, preeclampsia, or HELLP you can go to https://www.preeclampsia.org/ or https://www2.heart.org/
Jeri Hoag Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity, birth, children and family photography in South Bend, Indiana and surrounding areas including but not limited to Granger and Elkhart.