Ella's First Breath

Ella Grace Johnson 7lbs 6oz 21 inches long Born at 11:42am on the 4th of July! Ella decided that she was going to arrive a little early and give her mom the best 30th birthday present she could ever ask for! July 3rd I became extremely sick with severe chest and back pain and knew something was wrong. When we arrived at the hospital at 2:00am July 4th after being monitored for a few hours and having contractions a minute apart I was told that I would be induced because I had developed HELLP Syndrome . HELLP Syndrome is a life-threatening obsteric complication considered by many to be a variant of pre-eclampsia. A syndrome featuring a combination of "H" for hemolysis (the breakdown of red blood cells), "EL" for elevated liver enzymes, and "LP" for low platelet count (an essential blood clotting element). At 11:00am I was told that my platelet count was dropping dramatically and my liver was beginning to shut down and that I would have to have an emergency c-section. Within minutes I was in the operating room and meeting my beautiful baby girl!