Ethan's HELLPers

When Katie Theriault was pregnant with son Ethan, she says, “I never thought I would have a difficult pregnancy or labor. After all, why would I? Only two years earlier I had given birth to a healthy, nearly 8 pound baby boy. That pregnancy was free of complications.”

But her pregnancy with Ethan would prove to turn out very, very differently. The pregnancy was difficult from the beginning, she says, “A lot of pain and discomfort, poor outcomes of a first trimester screen, a CVS, and a lot of unanswered questions.”

She continues, “It was fall and I was supposed to be going to see my sister and take my son and her daughter to Salem, MA for a Halloween event. I had been having terrible headaches lately though and just feeling unusually lousy and tired. I mentioned this to my OBGYN but she didn’t think much of it. I ended up attributing the headaches however to fall in New England and drafty windows. I passed on going for the Halloween event as I was just too tired. Monday came around and I went to work as usual and then to my parents house to pick up Michael, my 2 year old son. I sat on her couch and my Mom yelled as if something were terribly wrong. One look at my legs said it all! They were grossly swollen.”

Katie’s mother, who is a nurse, helped her to determine that she needed immediate medical attention.

After discussions with her OB-GYN and first going to Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Katie says, “I was transported to Baystate Medical Center by ambulance where a slew of doctors, neonatologists, nurses, and ultrasound techs all gathered around discussing me and my situation.”

Over the next 5 days, Katie’s blood pressure couldn’t be controlled. She says, “On the 4^th night at the hospital, my body started to take a turn for the worst…The call was made to induce me as it was clear to the Doctors that I had developed HELLP syndrome.” Then, during labor, things got even scarier for Katie. Her blood pressure continued to spike and eventually, she couldn’t see.

Ethan was born at 6:02 pm. He was revived by the neonatologists and put on a C-Pap machine. He was 2 pounds and 15 ounces, 15 inches long, and 9 weeks early. Katie says, “I couldn’t see anything but a black ring – I was blind and terrified of never seeing what my son looked like or being able to look at my other beautiful child, Michael. Thoughts were swarming my head… thoughts of my husband, my parents, and my family. How was everyone going to take care of my children?”

Katie would be awakened at 3 am and informed that her doctors believed she’d had a stroke. After initially being released, Katie had to be re-admitted to the hospital. She spent 12 days there, all told.

Meanwhile, Ethan would spend a total of 34 days in the hospital.  Katie says, “I am extremely lucky though to have him alive. He had some expected hurdles early on such as brachycardia, a small brain hemorrhage, feeding issues, and reflux. He is now two and a half. He is now strong and healthy. He is the happiest guy I know. He is so full of life and has so much love to give!”

Looking back on the experience, Katie says, “There has not been one day that goes by where I haven’t thought about some part of whole ordeal. I am very happy and relieved knowing that Ethan is happy, smart, and healthy. I am saddened by the fact that I should not have children again. There is up to a 65% chance of the HELLP syndrome recurring. I am truly blessed though as the death rate for HELLP babies is as high as 25%. I am one of the lucky ones! I thank all the doctors for saving my life and my baby's life. I wish that more was known by woman all around the world and the medical community about HELLP syndrome."