From death’s door to holistic wellness and a bouncing bundle of joy – Pt 2

It was not that she had no hope initially, for a healthy pregnancy and safe birthing, but this hope to have her worst fears allayed intensified significantly, as unplanned, unfavourable episodes mounted.

All throughout her pregnancy, Ayana Dean was not found to be in the high-risk category, but that quickly changed on her last visit to her obstetrician-gynaecologist (OBGYN), when her blood pressure was elevated beyond the normal range.

“It was Friday, May 28, 2021. I was 32 weeks and five days pregnant. I knew things were winding down. I was exhausted, to be quite honest. I was 202 pounds of frustration and tiredness and ‘can this be over now please?’ This was not an uncommon way to feel at this stage. I went to bed early, around 5 p.m. I was too tired to stay up but woke up a little after 7. There was a distinct red spot in my vision. I got up, went downstairs, and checked my blood pressure. The reading was 159 over 111, pulse 73 beats per minute. That’s high.”

But, even at this stage, Dean was not completely aware of the severity of these readings.

It was not until she had a check-in from her friend, Charlene, a registered nurse, who told her to call her obstetrician and visit the hospital immediately, after learning of her state, that she realised what could be happening.

“I called my OBGYN, walked calmly up the stairs to wake Joel, and told him, ‘We need to get to the hospital, bring the labour bag’.” I was fine until I looked up at him and realised I couldn’t recognise him; his face was completely contorted. I was losing my sight. I was already booked at Andrews Memorial Hospital. We headed there. My blood pressure check before admission was 171 over 115, the baby was in danger. It was clear we needed to make plans to get my blood pressure under control or get my son out.”

Sometime after, Dean had a catheter inserted as her kidneys were failing. This, coupled with the uncertainty of what would happen next drained her physically and mentally, but she soldiered on.

“By the time I had been admitted to the ward, we realised Joel (husband) had not had a chance to do his COVID test in all the rush. That meant he couldn’t stay with me. My OBGYN was vigilant, she patrolled the ward like a soldier on active duty. It felt like she never left. I was in and out of it but I remember nurses checking my blood pressure quite often, the medication wouldn’t work, and my pressure kept rising. It was clear I would need to have my baby as soon as possible,”

By this time, the expectant mother was experiencing severe pre-eclampsia, a rare complication of pregnancy, characterised by high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system, and was made aware of a need for her to be transferred.

“I felt blood rushing down my legs. My placenta erupted and we were in immense danger at this point, Kiri (OBGYN) asserted ‘We’re having this baby right now!’ I was scared for his life. I remember thinking I hadn’t felt him move in a little bit, maybe he is dead. I don’t know if I said that out loud but I distinctly remember Kiri telling the attending nurse to tape the monitors to my belly so I could hear the baby’s heartbeat. It was there. Steady, faint, but present. I don’t know how much time passed, I was tired and losing blood.”

WHEN REALITY HITS

Dean said she was later brought into the theatre, intubated and put to sleep before an emergency C-section was done by what she describes as a wonder team of doctors and nurses.

But they were certainly not in the clear.

“My son was born with an APGAR score of zero at two pounds and four ounces. I was not there. I am told they resuscitated him and he was transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the University Hospital of the West Indies. I met my son for the first time 12 days after he was born.”

Her reality did not match the plans she had to have her husband cut the umbilical cord, if he didn’t faint, or to bask in the scent of her pillows lathered with lavender oils and experience the joys of holding her son. Instead, she spent the first five days after her delivery in a haze, having lost blood and developed HELLP Syndrome, a further complication to pre-eclampsia.

“I was still unable to see my son, my platelets were extremely low and I had to have blood and plasma transfusions, but I don’t remember feeling desolate at any moment. My concern was for my husband and my son who I had heard little of. It was hard to get clarity in the early days, I was still in and out of it and Joel spent most of his time at the NICU caring for our son.”

The couple’s baby experienced Severe Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, a type of brain dysfunction that occurs when the brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen or blood flow for a period of time. He had two neonatal seizures, kidney injury, his heart valve had not yet closed and he needed respiratory assistance and was on the ventilator.

Dean said, as her son fought to stay alive, she knew he was fighting with everything he had, even as the medical team fought with him and his dad cared for him, and that was enough.

“I am grateful for my son. I have no regrets about how he was born and the circumstances that surrounded his early life. I am acutely aware my son knew how and when to come into this world. There was never a reason to give up or lose hope. My experience stands as proof of how varied pregnancy and delivery can be. This could have happened to any other mom on the ward that night, it was a lottery, not destiny.”

She added, “I am grateful to have had the presence of my mother, Cecile Forbes, during this time. She took such great care of Joel and me, and, when my son came home, she was there. Her presence alone made me feel capable. I want to thank her for the way she loved, fought and prayed for him before she ever met him.”

Six months later, and Dean said she continues to be grateful for family and friends who supported them in whatever way they could and to have a son who is clinically well.

“Being a mom is overwhelming and beautiful, unimaginably frustrating and equally satisfying. My son is full of wonder and life. He is such a warrior and the light of our existence. This is possibly the most important work of my life. The ability to add another human being to our world, with the potential to do, to create and change, holds an impact for generations. Even so, my son is not of me, he only came through me. I’m here to observe and facilitate his becoming. As we continue to create the life we choose, we are happy to take the highs with all the lows and, what the hells?” Dean added beaming.