My name is Ebony Ford, and at 26 weeks pregnant, I was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia & HELLP syndrome.
Reigning Over It
After 5 years of infertility & 3 losses, my husband & I were elated to find out that we were pregnant again in October of 2017. My pregnancy was uneventful but due to my history, I needed to see a high-risk obstetrician. At 25 weeks, I developed a bit of swelling in my feet and made a note to tell my doctor at my appt. But I arrived at the appointment to find that my doctor had an emergency and I would be seeing a partner. My blood pressure seemed fine so the doctor told me not to worry and to go on the trip we had planned that week. Despite my doctor’s orders, he decided that I didn’t need to do my usual lab work due to the results always being normal. A few days later, my husband & I traveled to Las Vegas and I felt great. But on my second day there I began to experience severe swelling in my extremities, shortness of breath, and lightheadedness. I reached out to my doctor and she advised that I return home immediately and report to Labor & Delivery. I boarded the plane and fell asleep. I woke up as we were landing and realized that my vision was gray, my feet no longer fit into my shoes and I had a very hard time catching my breath. I was wheeled from the plane to the pickup lane and we proceeded to the hospital.
Reigning Through It
When I arrived at Labor & Delivery, I was told that since I wasn’t in labor and my concerns weren’t necessarily “pregnancy-related” that I should go to the emergency room. After 15 minutes, and not having my vitals taken, I was eventually wheeled to the triage area in the ER. The triage nurse put the blood pressure cuff on my arm and when it was done reading her eyes got wide as she asked to put the cuff on my other arm and the machine read 246/154. She explained, while pressing a button on the wall, that she was calling a brain attack (stroke protocols) and things would go really fast from here. And she wasn’t kidding! Staff ran out almost immediately, lifted me onto a gurney and rushed me into the back. Almost immediately the doctors told me they were sure I had preeclampsia or a blood clot in my lung but would wait for my results to come back. Within 30 minutes the doctors told me that they found a ton of protein in my urine indicating preeclampsia and my chest x-ray showed severe pulmonary edema which explained my being out of breath. A doctor from Labor & Delivery came down to explain to me that because I was diagnosed with preeclampsia, they could keep me pregnant until 32 weeks but I would have to stay in the hospital until delivery. I wasn’t thrilled about that but I knew it was what was best for my baby. My husband began to make calls to share with our family what was happening when doctors came back in sharing that they just received my outstanding lab work which indicated that I was in complete kidney and liver failure. They then shared that I had something called HELLP Syndrome and would need to deliver IMMEDIATELY! I began to cry and panic as they worked to get an additional IV in order to push magnesium and additional blood pressure medications. My pregnancy had been totally uneventful up to that point, so to suddenly hear the words, “We have to deliver your baby right now via c-section” was completely unreal to me. How could I have to deliver my baby at just 26 weeks? What would a 26-week-old baby look like? WOULD SHE SURVIVE? These were all the questions that flooded my mind as they rushed me up to labor and delivery.
As my husband called our parents and those closest repeatedly sharing the awful news that we were about to deliver, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) doctor appeared and started sharing what we could expect from a baby born at 26 weeks. There was so much chaos in the room as the team of doctors, nurses, respiratory techs and more were preparing me for the c-section so I only remember hearing certain key phrases like respiratory failure, intubation, blindness, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, feeding difficulty and probable brain bleeds all describing what could affect my unborn baby. Before I could ask any questions, the monitors started going off indicating that my blood pressure and heart rate were elevating. One of the nurses put an oxygen mask on my face, encouraged me to take deep breaths and kept telling me to relax. The NICU doctor promised to come talk to me after the c-section and let me know how my baby was doing. While processing all of this, another team of doctors from the ICU came to talk to me about my condition. Because my health was rapidly deteriorating, they felt it was best to put me under general anesthesia for the c-section and then intubate me to allow my lungs to rest. They said that if my lungs and kidneys didn’t respond to delivery ad treatment that I may need to go on life support. But they were sure that wouldn’t be the case. A few moments later I was whisked away to the OR. I remember thinking the entire way to the OR that I may not survive this. It was a feeling of impending doom that I had never experienced and haven’t since. I remember praying aloud (and not caring who heard me) and asking God to please not make my husband a widower and a single father in the same day. And as they lifted me onto the table, I was asked to lay flat and I panicked because I felt like I was drowning. I began to hyperventilate and kept saying “I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe like this!” That was the very last thing I remember…
And She Shall Reign
On March 25, 2018 at 6:53 pm I gave birth to my dream, my fighter, my heartbeat, Reign Victoria. She came into the world crying and alert weighing 1lb 15 oz. And while she was stabilized to be transported to the NICU, doctors attempted to reduce sedation and take me off of the vent. But my condition deteriorated and a chest x-ray showed worsening pulmonary edema. I was given a dialysis port in the OR and then taken to the ICU where I spent the next 26 hours on life support, undergoing dialysis, magnesium transfusions, and was typed for a liver transplant due to my elevating liver enzymes. Simultaneously my daughter experienced a collapsed lung requiring a chest tube and a transfer to the ventilator. After 26 hours my condition began to improve and the sedation was lifted. My blood pressure continued to spike but I was able to be transferred to Labor & Delivery and shortly after meet my daughter for the first time. Though in a lot of pain, feverish from the magnesium and seeing spots, I was determined to sit with my baby girl as long as possible. And for the next 79 days, as she battled jaundice, severe anemia, lung collapses, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia, I faced readmissions for blood pressure, kidney and liver issues. And though she was released home seemingly healthy on day 80, I continued to battle the effects of my traumatic birth mentally, emotionally, and especially physically.
In the months and years to come, prematurity reared its head and dealt us some devastating blows in the form of 4 bouts of RSV, Croup, Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, hypoxia, severe expressive speech delay, global developmental delays, and pulmonary fibromatosis requiring 3 rounds of radiation and an impending surgery. Our journey birthed a passion for advocacy so I have dedicated my life to mentoring NICU parents and those who are medically fragile. I founded a non-profit organization and diversity inclusion firm called Miracle Mamas that provides guidance to hospitals & organizations seeking to make an impact in the maternal health crisis, provide mentoring and resources to individuals impacted by prematurity, birth injuries, disabilities, and traumatic births to ensure that their physical, developmental, social and emotional needs are exceeded. We host weekly support gatherings on the Clubhouse app for mothers of premature, medically fragile, and disabled children. We are currently hosting a fundraiser to take self-care bags to NICU families as well as dinner to the NICU staff on Thanksgiving Day. Please consider donating to help us make a greater impact by clicking here (hyperlink: https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/8EiqFZiBiV )
Author Bio:
Ebony Ford is a 34-year-old Washington DC native. She is the proud wife of Ryan Vincent Ford, musician and gospel recording artist, and mother to her pride and joy, her daughter Reign Victoria. Ebony received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Certificate in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty University and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Forensic Psychology. She hopes that her education and personal experience will allow her to open her own practice and specialize in near-death experiences, more specifically birth trauma. Her traumatic, near-death birth story and her daughter’s NICU journey birthed a passion for advocacy and mentoring. In February 2021, Ebony founded Miracle Mamas, a support group for mothers of the premature, medically fragile, and disabled that meets on Clubhouse and hosts monthly gatherings. In August of 2021, Ebony founded Miracle Mamas LLC, a diversity and inclusion firm that provides consultations to organizations looking to aid in the maternal health crisis and provides resources to families of the premature, medically fragile, and disabled to ensure that their physical, socio-economic and emotional needs are met. Both Ebony and her daughter also serve as Ambassadors for March of Dimes and find great joy in sharing their story and serving the population most affected by prematurity. They most recently contributed to March of Dimes’ national campaign “It’s Not Fine” and appear in both the commercials, digital ads on various websites and social media as well as the print ads in multiple magazines.
