Dylan Allen's Story

My husband and I tried to get pregnant but we weren't having much luck owing to my medical condition: I have Type 1 Insulin Dependent Diabetes. So we decided we had better get some help, or at least see what we could do with a doctor's help. I ended up getting pregnant using IUI, which is intro-uterine insemination. It worked on our second try! We were elated, and also very scared.

My pregnancy got off to a very rough start. I was losing weight rather than gaining, until my OB finally decided to take my thyroid levels, to see if that had anything to do with my dramatic weight loss. It turned out that my thyroid levels were skyrocketing! They ended up putting me on some medication to try and lower them. Fortunately, the medication worked. Then I ended up being put on heart meds so that my heart would slow down, because I'd started going into what they called Tachycardia. Finally, around my sixth month, we got everything pretty much straightened out and the pregnancy started going a lot better.

On May 14th 2002, I was 36 weeks and three days along, and went in for my routine two-week check- up. My urine had a +2 on the protein screen, I was swelling and had experienced headaches that would stay with me for hours on end. They diagnosed pre-eclampsia and sent me over to the hospital to receive some IV medication. My headaches were getting worse and my blood pressure was 185/100, so they decided they should just go ahead and induce me. Even though I was only 36 weeks, I was already 2cm. dilated and 90% effaced.

At around 5 p.m. they started the Pitocin and around 10 p.m. I had my bag of waters broken. I got my epidural around 12 a.m. on May 15th 2002, and finally I could sleep on and off throughout the contractions. I even slept through some of them! I started pushing at around 10 a.m. and delivered a beautiful six pound, eleven point two ounce baby boy. We named him Dylan Allen. The neonatal unit was in there because he was early. They checked him over and gave him right back to us! We were so lucky to have such a fighter! Dylan Allen's Apgar scores were seven and nine, and he was nineteen inches long. He is such a blessing!