Hello,
My name is Taylor and I have an 8 month old daughter. Backstory as to why I am here:
<<If you don’t want to read the whole backstory and just want to see what I need help with, skip down to almost the bottom with the three asterisks (***)>>
Last April (2021) I lost my great grandmother, and you may be thinking “how does this lead up to where you’re at now?”, I’ll get there but I’m trying to just give as much backstory I can to explain my situation. My great grandmother was a wonderful woman, she cared for me a lot as a kid because my mother worked and my dad was military. This really impacted me, I struggled for a bit. Literally 3 days after her funeral I took a pregnancy test and it was VERY positive. I like to think that she knew she was a great great grandmother and was happy. From the second I went to the OB/ GYN I was told I was more than likely high risk.
I have a heart condition called POTS, and it’s not life threatening as long as I’m being treated, due to passing out, heart rate spikes, etc. I also have other health concerns and they were just very concerned about my pregnancy. I went to the OB/GYN monthly, as per usual pregnancies, but I also had an ultrasound once a month, sometimes twice a month. At my first ultrasound, which was a dating ultrasound because I did not know how far along I was, I was told there was no heart beat and no fetal pole but there was a yolk sac. I was told that I could just be earlier on in my pregnancy and it wasn’t able to be seen yet, and to come back in a week. They were so positive and reassuring, but that didn’t stop my anxiety from being super high that whole week. I was crying constantly, and just worried. This baby was not planned, but was definitely wanted. The next week came, and there was a fetal pole, heartbeat and showed growth. I cried.
The pregnancy continued, normally for my case, and all was well. I was employed at a hotel, it wasn’t paying the best but it was a job. Then August came around, I got Covid and that’s when more health scares came. I had gone to the ER and at that time they were just bringing out it trying the infusions for Covid. They told me that there wasn’t enough research on how it does with women who are pregnant and the results that they did have were not good. Her heart rate was still good, I wasn’t quite feeling constant movements yet but I’d feel kicks here and there. They were positive, but told me there was nothing they could do for me and to let it just run it’s course. It hit me like a train, I was throwing up constantly (and I never had morning sickness so this was different), I was sleeping 18-20 hours a day and I just couldn’t move. I was out of work for 3 weeks and I had Covid on my birthday (August 25th) which really sucked. That’s where the financial struggles began.
On September 4th of last year, so a whole year ago today, I found out I was having a little girl. I was just happy that she was healthy and growing at the rate she needed to be.
I had to take out a $3000 loan last October because we were struggling that bad, and my hours had been cut at work due to me not being allowed to stand for more than 5 minutes at a time and I wasn’t able to do my duties at work anymore without a coworker there. At this time I also was applying for new jobs that didn’t require as much of me standing or walking or lifting. I got a new job and it paid $12 an hour, I had 40 hours a week.
Let’s just call it home health that I was in, and if anyone has ever worked in home health, you can understand the struggle with some clients/patients. The first week of November came along, and I was at the point in my pregnancy that I was going to the doctor every 2 weeks. At one of my appointments they saw a very elevated amount of protein in my urine and sent me straight to the ER. There they monitored me and baby, made sure she was still alright. They sent me home with a jug and told me they needed a 24-hour urine collection. So I did just that, and it came back that I had Preeclampsia. That made my already high risk pregnancy even higher risk, and they started seeing me once weekly along with twice weekly growth ultrasounds and NST’s. They set my induction date for 37 weeks on the nose for December 16th. I was so excited to have my baby with me before Christmas, as Christmas is my favorite holiday. I had my baby shower the Saturday after Thanksgiving and started preparing myself and my home for baby.
We went in on December 16th at 8am and they began the induction process. 40 hours later I was still in labor and her heartbeat dropped significantly. So many nurses came running in, they tried moving me positions, oxygen anything to bring her heart rate back up. It dropped again. That’s when I was rushed into the OR for an emergency C-section. When they first pulled her out she didn’t cry for what felt like forever, but was probably only 15-20 seconds. When I heard her cry, it was just one tiny one, so much relief came over me and I was finally able to relax for the first time in 9 months. They took her straight back to the NICU team where they did some quick tests like heartbeat, oxygen etc. They deemed she was healthy and brought her back out. I didn’t get to hold her, but her father did right next to me. She is so pretty.
I have had issues with my incision scar ever since. And even more health issues have came about now, and I am now seeing a neurologist. This stuff isn’t cheap.
I suffer from extreme Postpartum Depression and Anxiety and Mild Postpartum Rage. And that had a sting hold on me for the first 5 1/2 months as that’s how long I had to wait to be treated. I am doing better on that issue though.
I had found another job in May because I needed more income than what I was getting. It was a call center, 35 minutes away from where I live. This is when gas prices were through the roof, so it was a struggle. But it paid $14 an hour. Now let me note that I was through a Temp Agency with a 3 month contract, and after that it would be up to the company if they wanted to keep me.
Well on August 18th I lost my job. And the struggle is really hitting hard. As stated before my Birthday was August 25th, and yet again it was a sucky year. This past Monday, August 29th we had to rush my daughter to the hospital as she had a high fever of 103.7 and was lethargic. We were there for 8 hours before even being brought back. They told us she had Covid, but where she is so young they couldn’t do anything for us except tell us to alternate Ibuprofen and Tylenol.
So with all of that backstory we get to where I am today.
***I am behind on rent ($600). Behind on my electric bill ($255). Behind on my couch payment and they are threatening to take it back if I don’t have payment for it on Tuesday ($164 and this is what I sleep on). This isn’t including money I need for gas or groceries. She is on a special formula, and WIC get us 18 bottles a month, but those 18 bottles only last 18 days. I was just told that I am not eligible for Unemployment through my state, but to try to get it from the state that I work in. (I’m right across a bridge from the other state and the city I live in is very small, so that’s where most people work).
I need help, please. I need the $164 FOR SURE by Tuesday. Everything else can wait a few days.
Please help my family.
Thank you.
paypal.me/taylortotts