Melinda’s latest blog on our new girl and our family’s week. She knows how to tell the story! You can read all her blogs at melindalittleblogs.com.

It’s a Girl!

This week I met the most adorable little girl. She is all of five pound two ounces, and she has only been in this world for just a few days. She has already stolen my heart though. Who knew such a little package could cause such overwhelming emotion? Her name is Vivi and she is my first grandchild.

Remembering Being a First-Time Mom

I remember when her mother was born 30 some odd years ago and then her uncles after that. I remember those emotions; the fear, the love, the exhaustion. I remember holding that sweet bundle and being amazed by it all. I remember my first time labor, and the subsequent labors, the pain, the look of terror in my husband’s eyes, the rapid activity of the nurses and doctor preparing to bring a new life into the world and then the overwhelming love. While I didn’t know exactly what to expect the first time I had seen enough TV to have a bit of an idea of the organized chaos in the labor room.

I remember as a mom who was having the baby I never thought much about the stress there might been for my mom and my extended family. They had all been through this before, so I just assumed they were old pros. Consequently, I was not prepared for the roller coaster ride of the few days leading up to the birth of my first grandchild. It has left me emotional and exhausted. My daughter was admitted to the hospital Monday morning with severe preeclampsia. I really did not know much about preeclampsia until this week. Yes, Downton Abby fans that is exactly what Lady Sybil died from in Season 3, so, yes, my mind not only went there, it RUSHED there with lightning speed. Of course, that show was set pre-World War II so there have been significant advances in the treatment of this disease.

The Call

The call from her on Monday sent my heart racing. My fear for her was more than it had ever been for me. Despite my co-worker’s warning I immediately Googled it to find out what it meant.

While I know you are never supposed to do that, it actually calmed me down in this instance because it helped me understand not only what it was, but also how easily it was treated. The issue for today’s doctors are to ensure they diagnose it early and to be able to control the disease long enough to keep mom stable until the pregnancy is far enough along to deliver a healthy baby. The cure is very simple. The doctor only needs to deliver the baby.

In cases where the disease onset is early in the pregnancy the balancing act can be tricky, and can involve bed rest or near bed rest for the duration and sometimes even long hospital stays and medication. The disease can significantly increase your blood pressure and show signs of damage to your organs, usually the kidneys or liver, which can cause death if left untreated. We were lucky in her case because Katie was already almost 35 weeks and so the baby was viable. In fact, she was abale to stay in the room with Katie and Patrick right away. CONTINUE READING