Four years ago this month...

This was my last pregnant picture. I was 20 weeks here. This was right before we went in for the ultrasound. I was beyond excited knowing I was having a girl. I celebrated in true Ali form and went shopping!
This picture does not do justice. That was my arm after about 8 hours of blood tests. They took my blood every 3 hours fir an entire week. I had some serious "track marks" by the end of the ordeal. :-)

I was very sick. For weeks I had been crippled with severe migraines and suffering from terrible stomach pains. My nose would bleed everytime I even touched it. Something was wrong. I knew it. No one believed me. “It’s heartburn. This is all a part of being pregnant. You’re going to have to get used to this; you still have a long time to be pregnant. Eat bland food. Take Zantac.” Blah, blah, blah. That was the doctor’s advice. I decided to diagnose myself. I needed my gallbladder out. I demanded an ultrasound of my gallbladder. “Everything looks fine.” UGH! That is one of the most frustrating things ever…when no one believes you and you know there is a problem. Finally on September 17, 2004, I said to James “There is something wrong with me, and I can’t take this pain!” We went to the ER, I was admitted and observed overnight. The night was a blur. (When I try to recount the events of Raychel’s birth story, James always says, “that’s not how it happened.” He’s probably right, since I barely had enough brain power to form a thought. However, I like to tell it the way I remember it.) I know I barfed a lot and moaned a lot. They called the OB/GYN on-call to come in and take a look. He ordered blood work…lots of blood work. Finally morning came. My parents brought James some McDonald’s for breakfast, and I just wanted to be shot in the head. The OB came in and basically said, “This has nothing to do with Alison’s gallbladder. She has a condition called HELLP. We’re sending her to Washoe to deliver the baby today.” I don’t remember him saying any of that, though. The next thing I remember seeing is my family crying. I’m saying, “What’s going on? What’s wrong?” “You’re sick, Ali. We have to deliver the baby.” Swarms of nurses came in and one administered that awful drug mag/sulfate. That is the worst medication ever invented. It was supposed to stop my liver from swelling. Got a catheter…what a special treat that is. Then I was loaded in the ambulance to Washoe Med. Since I was only 26 weeks, they were doing everything possible to keep me pregnant. I know there was lots more blood drawn. I had stabilized enough that we didn’t have to take Raychel right that moment although I did not feel stable. That night I got the mother of all nosebleeds. It would not stop, I was barfing blood, and I was freaking out because I had never seen that much blood! I kept filling towel after towel. None of the nurses could stop it, so the anesthesiologist came in, grabbed my head and squeezed my nose so hard, I thought it was going to break! That’s one of the things that happens with HELLP, it completely depletes your platelets, and the pain is caused from the liver shredding the red blood cells. So that’s basically my last conscious memory. I know what people have told me, but I don’t remember much. Just that I hurt, and I was so worried about my Raychel because I was not eating or drinking, and I thought my failing health was causing problems for her. Dr. Harris came in September 24, 2004 (my 27th week), saw that I was still sick and said, “It looks like a good day to have a baby.” By this time, I had started swelling like a balloon and my blood pressure was rising. As I was looking through pictures, I saw one of my BP had been 127/165. I had never noticed that monitor before in that picture. I do remember being so, so scared. I knew Raychel was barely a pound. I knew there was a good chance she would not live. There was an even better chance that she would have lifelong health and mental problems. I had other feelings, but I keep them to myself. Maybe I will tell Raychel one day. She was delivered, and they wheeled her by me in the isolet. All I could make out was this tiny little face. Once I was in recovery, I instantly felt better. Apparently, the placenta is a lot of the problem with HELLP. Once the placenta is removed, the health of the mother improves.

These four years have been full of trials, growth, learning and blessings. As you can imagine, I was overcome with emotions today as I watched my "one pound wonder" walk into her classroom with the rest of the kids. She is normal. She is strong. She is healthy. She is beautiful. We are so blessed to have Raychel in our lives!

Raychel got a special card from Nana and Papa on the front door today. She read it all by herself.

Best Friends: Brookie and Raychel awaiting their first day of preschool.

They skipped the entire way to school. Once we got to the school, they both walked right up to the locked gate and waited to get in. Yeah, there were obviously no tears shed!

Mrs. Baum, the teacher

The kids have to sign their name everyday when they come to class. Raychel took her sweet time making sure it looked perfect.