I, like everyone else, have a story to tell. My story is very personal and has effected my life in ways that I would never fully realize until many years later, and even now, I still don't know the full ramifications of what happened to me. I only know that it did happen, and that I am here to tell my story, hopefully to help someone else prevent this awful thing from happening.

For those of you who have no clue as to what pre-eclampsia is, I will go into a brief description of it. Pre-eclampsia, also known as toxemia by many, is a condition that occurs usually in the third trimester of pregnancy. Symptoms are high blood pressure, swelling of the hands and face and high protein in the urine.


My first experience with pre-eclampsia started when I was pregnant with my first son. I was 40 weeks pregnant and due anytime, when I was diagnosed with this the first time. They found a high protein in my urine and my blood pressure had skyrocketed to 160/120. My midwife sent me to the hospital and broke my water. I delivered less than 3 hours later, a healthy baby boy at 6 lb. 14 oz. This was only going to be the beginning for me.

When my son Beau was 3 months old, I found myself pregnant with our second child, another boy. When I was just a few weeks along, I caught a cold, which in a matter of just a few weeks went into full-blown pneumonia. I was put on bed-rest at home and was told that someone else had to care for my 4.5-month-old baby for a week or two, till I got better. Needless to say, I lost all my appetite and couldn't stand to eat hardly at all. At Christmas time of '87, I was slowly starting to feel like myself again, although a very pregnant version.

When at about 24 weeks pregnant and I had still not gained any weight, my midwife encouraged me to start eating. Lots of protein, she said. I ate what I could, but with very little luck. I did finally manage to gain 20 lbs. that pregnancy, but I believe that was just the edema that happens with the pre-eclampsia. When I went into pre-term labor at 34.5 weeks, they sent me home on medication with a monitor. But I did not last long, at my next doctors appointment, my blood pressure was 167/120 and they sent me to the hospital to deliver once again. Kyle was born at 35.5 weeks, weighing in at 4 pounds 11 ounces, but healthy none the less. He did have a slight case of jaundice that kept him in the hospital a few extra days, but when he was 5 days old, he came home.

This time I decided to wait a year before getting pregnant, and on Kyle's first birthday, we gave ourselves a gift; I threw away the birth control pills and never got my next cycle. We were so excited. We were going to have another baby. This time I was going to do everything right and make sure that I didn't get sick.

So from day one, I limited my calories, limited the salt intake, down to almost nothing, and had a cerclage put in for my pre-term labor. With the cerclage being put in, I managed to lose my appetite all the more. So by 20 weeks, I had not gained a single pound. At this point, most women will have gained about 10 pounds. This is the half way mark in the pregnancy. Zachary was due February 14, 1990 and I was so looking forward to a Valentine baby. Just a wonderful way to show my husband how much I loved him, I thought.

But things weren't going to go as I had planned. My midwife encouraged me to start eating more, as to gain weight, but I ate the wrong foods (too many holiday cookies.) So while I did start to gain weight, it was not the 'right' kind to grow a baby, placenta, and uterus. Right after Thanksgiving, my midwife put me on partial bed-rest. Saying to do the best you can with two toddlers in the house. John did what he could when he was available so as to lighten my load.

I made it about two weeks this way, when my midwife said that I needed to find someone else to take care of the boys, because she wanted me on permanent bed-rest at home. So off went my babies to my parents to be taken care of by my Dad, Mom and Sister. I saw my boys briefly on Christmas Eve, after their Dad picked them up, and I had them for a few hours on Christmas day, before my parents took them home with them again. Yes, I cried and I am crying now. This was very hard on me. But I also understood that it was only for a short time.

On December 29, my blood pressure finally elevated to 160/120 and I was sent to the hospital to be monitored carefully. I was only 33 weeks pregnant. They had me on bed-rest and took my pressures around the clock. I was at the hospital less than a week, when I started to throw up uncontrollably and had a severe pain on the right side of my rib cage and in my right shoulder blade. I did not know it then, but I was displaying classic symptoms of a pre-eclampsia related syndrome, called HELLPS. This is the next step in pre-eclampsia and your liver starts to break down from not having the proper nutrition to help with the extra strain on the human body.

On Jan. 4, 1990, the doctor took out my cerclage, and induced labor. At 9:56 pm, I delivered yet another son, Zachary Ethan Howard, at 3 pounds 10 ounces at 34 weeks gestation. His lungs where well formed and he screamed like a wild man. We named him Zachary because it means "God has remembered" and I didn't want God to forget him with him being so tiny. He went into NICU for 48 hours and then onto a regular floor. I got to hold him briefly after he was born, but then I didn't see him again till he was two days old. You see, I went life and death in that time after he was born.

I later found out that I was considered critical and they had platelets ready to transfuse into me, 8 units if I remember correctly, waiting on the floor. I do remember the nurses commenting on what a great patient I was and how peaceful I seemed. I did not know until almost two years later how critically ill I really was. They even stationed a nurse in my room. Talk about private care. I must of been really sick. I do remember them sticking me with a lot of needles to draw blood, and ending up with a very large bruise on my left arm because they didn't hold pressure onto the hole long enough. My platelets where at 10% of what a normal person would have. I had dropped from 450,000 count to 43,000 count. I could literally start bleeding internally at any moment, and that would be the end. But for some reason I never was in fear of dying. I just knew that I would live and be fine. God was going to protect me for some reason.

Needless to say, I got better. I saw my son when I was transferred back to the regular floor and he was then taken to a regular floor himself. I was so happy. He was doing great. He was small for birthweight, but that was his only complication. God was remembering him for me. Zachary came home when he was 3 weeks old and a little over 4 pounds. He is doing great now, eleven years old and one of the best sportsmen around.

When Zachary was about 7 weeks old, I had a tubal done, because the medical professionals where convinced that I would not make it through another pregnancy. So with our hearts breaking, for we really wanted a large family of about 6 kids, we had the tubal done. When it had been almost two years, I couldn't take it any longer. I wanted another baby so bad, it was starting to eat me up inside. We started to look into reversals and adoption, but both were way out of our price range. At this point, God came into our life in a wonderful way. We came to know Him as our personal Savior.

Four years later, after much prayer, God finally said to go for the reversal. Yes, I was scared, because of all the past problems I had had with my pregnancies. On March 12, 1996, I had my tubal reversal done. The doctor said that it was a successful surgery, but could not guarantee a pregnancy. The first cycle after my surgery, I found myself pregnant. After 6 long years, I was going to have another baby. John and I were thrilled!!! But I was still worried about the pre-eclampsia.

A wonderful friend of mine suggested reading a book that dealt with this subject. She said it was at our library right here in town. So I went and checked it out. The more I read the more I was convinced that my diet was the reason as to why I had had complications in the first place. I didn't eat enough protein!!! Wow, I thought, something so simple, yet so important and easily overlooked. The book is called "What Every Pregnant Woman Should Know; The Truth About Diet and Drugs During Pregnancy" by Gail Brewer with Tom Brewer, M.D. Medical Consultant.

I proceeded to do exactly what this book said to do and I gained 39 pounds in my pregnancy, but I didn't have pre-eclampsia. I still delivered Isaac early, but I believe that was due to the stress of a number of different situations. I know now that I do not handle stress well, of any sort, late in pregnancy. I felt that I had finally had a most wonderful pregnancy and the pregnancy that I had always wanted.

Mackenzie Lee (a girl) joined our family on Oct. 17, 1998 at 6:13pm. She weighed in at 6lb 9oz and was 19.5 inches long. I made it to 38 weeks this time, but I still had some pre-term labor. I went into labor at 35.5 weeks, but we were able to stop the contractions with breathine. I was on breathine till 37 weeks. Then after being off of it a week, I finally went into labor. Once again, I did not have a trouble free delivery as the placenta started to abrupt. I lost a lot of blood, but was able to deliver her in minutes when they realized just what exactly was happening. I had no anesthesia and delivered her vaginally without any other complications. God was good and we are both doing very well and because of the high protein diet, I did not have pre-eclampsia once again.

Now I know that stress can effect a pregnancy greatly. When I found out I was pregnant with number 6, we were in a difficult relational situation with some people we know. My blood pressure went up from 11 weeks on during this pregnancy. The doctors kept telling me it was Pregnancy Induced High Blood Pressure (PIH) or Pre-eclampsia. I kept telling them it was a situational blood pressure problem and if the situation was different, I wouldn't be having as many blood pressure problems.

I went into pre-term labor with Silas at 34 weeks and dilated to 2 cm. I went home for the next two weeks and was on as much bed rest or couch rest as I could possibly get. With the complication of the high blood pressure and now the pre-term labor, the doctors where very concerned for me. When I hit 35 weeks and 5 days, I couldn't stand being pregnant another minute. The contractions broke through the meds and I started to dilate. I went to the hospital and found myself 4cm. The doctors decided to take me off the meds and let nature happen at this point. I went home for a few hours at 8:30pm and went back to the hospital at midnight. I delivered Silas at 12:35 am, just like his brother Isaac..

Baby number seven had safely made her arrival.  On November 8, 2001, Ceili (Kay-lee) Rain joined our family.  She weighed in at 6lb. 10oz. and was 19 inches long.  The end of the pregnancy was another struggle for me.  I went into pre-term at 33 weeks 5 days and was on 'house' bedrest, meaning I could get my shower, get dressed, fix light meals, and then sit on the couch or lay down for the rest of the day.  I was also put on breathine because when I went into pre-term the contractions where 6-7 minutes apart already!  But with some care and a lot of rest, I made it to 37 weeks and 1 day before I delivered her!  Hence the second biggest baby I have ever delivered.

Her birth was also very unique in that she didn't want to be born!  I was in and out of labor almost every day.  I would dilate just that much further each and every time, but then the contractions would disappear.  Finally, I woke up in labor on the 8th at 3am, the contractions even went down to 3 minutes apart, then by 8am they were gone!  It was an interesting labor to say the least.  I had a scheduled appointment at the hospital for a non-stress test, so we went in a little early.  The nurse checked me and I was now 6-7cm, but the contractions had faded once again.  With her checking me, the contractions had started back up.  So we decided that it was time.  I ended up having Ceili crawl back inside of me once and finally I had the doctor break the water and I delivered Ceili kneeling. She literally dropped out of me.  It was definitely the most unique birth I have ever had or seen:)

3-16-04 update...  I know another year has almost gone by, but we have added another beautiful baby to our family.  This pregnancy went probably the best so far, but I still ended up on semi-bedrest and earlier than before.  At 32 weeks, I went into pre-term labor due to Strep B.  I didn't think I could get it, but I could literally feel it all over my body.  It made me all shaky and yucky feeling on the inside.  But we made it to 36 weeks and 4 days, giving birth to a healthy 6 pound 2.5 ounce baby girl.  She is very sweet and life wouldn't be the same without her.  I did have to find a new healthcare provider and my midwives where the best!  They worked with me on everything that I wanted and then some.  Delivery was very long this time, but she came out and was healthy and that is all that matters in the long run.  Lynzi was born Sept 6, 03 at 12:49am.  

7-20-05 Another update... We rejoice in announcing the birth of yet another Smith Reversal baby into the world.  I made it to 37 weeks and 5 days this time, full term, but not without bed rest for 5 weeks.  I went into pre-term at 31 weeks and although I was at home, I was not able to do much of anything.  But God was faithful and saw us through.  Ariel Joy joined our family on July 8, 2005 at 6:29pm.  She weighed in at 6-8 and 17.5" long.  She looks a lot like her daddy:)  

Thank-you for reading my story. I have finally got a site done that will give you an over view and some comments on the diet I used to help prevent further complications with pre-eclampsia. Just go to Pregnancy Diet.

Another wonderfully informative site about the Brewer diet is....

http://home.mindspring.com/~djsnjones/