My Birth Story

I know its 6 months late but I finally feel I'm able to share my birth story.

My pregnancy with Bea started off awful due to morning sickness, which only eased off once I was 4 months pregnant then for a few weeks I felt fine and had all my energy back.

Though from around 28 weeks I started to get itchy.

Which ended up with me having my bloods taken weekly to keep an eye on my bile acid levels.

I was being monitored for cholestasis of pregnancy.

My bile acid level would rise and fall weekly but the doctors weren't too concerned but still wanted me to be tested weekly.

At 33 weeks I had to have an iron transfusion due to my levels being really low.

Around 35 weeks I started to get what I thought was really bad heartburn, so bad that I would call my mum up crying telling her it wasn't normal and I was pretty sure either Bea was on her way or I was dying.

Eventually the pain would go away and I would laugh off my hysterics.

My birth plan was to have a water birth at home with Jon and my mum by my side.

At 37 weeks I had some more bloods done, and this time they ticked all liver function tests and sent them away, my mum arrived in Norfolk as she was coming to stay for the month to be around for the birth and a while after to lend a hand.

I remember my phone ringing constantly, the hospital wanted me in the next day to take more bloods and to do more checks, I was then booked in for a scan on the Tuesday to double check on Bea and another appointment with my consultant was made.

I didn't really think twice and got on with the day.

After dinner my parents went back to their cottage and we went to bed, I was feeling a little worse for wear but put that down to being tired.

Around 1am I woke up feeling like labour had started, I was sick and then the chest pain came 10 times stronger than it had ever come before.

I ripped my t-shirt off and was moaning so loudly that even Noah woke up worrying what was going on.

I was grabbing at my chest saying this isn't right.

Jon called my mum (my mum is a home birth midwife) and she came right round.

I could barely talk through the pain and she made Jon call the delivery ward and they told me to come straight away, the ambulance wait was too long, so Jon drove me.

By the time i got to hospital i was pretty out of it, but i remember a hand a banging headache and the chest pain was still going strong.

They put me in a room and I remember it instantly filling up with people.

I remember telling them my head and chest hurt and just closing my eyes.

    I woke a little while later with drips and canulars in and I was hooked up to fluid on one side and on the other I was hooked up to magnesium sulphate. 

I was having my bloods taken hourly, and I was constantly being prodded with needles and being told what was going to happen.

My consultant even came back as soon as she heard I was in hospital, so she was there waiting to talk to me.

She told me I had HELLP Syndrome!

It was really rare and because I hadn't had preeclampsia before and I wasn't with a new partner it wasn't something they were looking for, plus my blood pressure always seemed ok.

She was thankful I came in as the worse would have happened if I had tried to stay home and brush the pain off.

On Saturday when I was finally stabilised and back with it, the plan of action was to induce me whilst carrying on with the hourly bloods and magnesium sulphate.

I agreed and they got on with it,  I cant say it was a pleasant experience being induce in front of a room full of people, but apparently needs must.

As i settled down ready for the long wait my consultant came back in and said unfortunately a C-section was needed and it had to be done under general anaesthetic, my blood platelets had dropped extremely low and I needed to have a platelet transfusion first. 

Having my c-section under general anaesthetic meant Jon couldn't be in the theatre with me and I wouldn't hear Bea's first cry.

I remember being wheeled in and feeling ok about it, but as soon as the oxygen mask was put on me I started to freak out, I kept trying to pull it away from my face and the anaesthetist was trying to calm me down.

I woke up in recovery with Jon by my side.

Once I had woken they bought Bea in to see me, I cried and remember saying are you sure she's ours?

I couldn't hold her as I still wasn't really with it, so the midwife gave her a cup of formula and then Jon held her beside me.

Bea needed a little resuscitation due to the anaesthetic but other than that she was fine.

We were taken back into the delivery room where I had been since I arrived at hospital.

Jon stayed as long as possible and then headed home so he could sleep, as he hadn't slept since the Thursday.

The midwives were all amazing and helped me with feeding Bea through the night by bringing her to me when she needed feeding and making sure I was ok.

In the morning Jon came back and bought along with him presents from my mum and some food, as i hadn't eaten for a while.

We spent the day looking at Bea and not quite believing we finally had our little girl.

Towards the end of the day I was taken off the magnesium sulphate and the fluid. My bloods were still being taken hourly just to keep an eye on things.

Around 10pm I was helped get out of bed and see how mobile i was, it was hard but i was able to walk slowly. As they had taken out my catheter I had to be made to go for a wee to make sure everything was working.

Once they were happy I was moved onto the main ward.

It was busy and noisy and I instantly wanted to go home, we made it through the night and I was still being monitored for my urine levels, I was told if i didn't do enough I would have to have the catheter put back in, obviously that made me down the jugs of water available and make me get out of bed and moving.

I didn't want to spend another night on the ward!

The snow was getting heavy and Jon wasn't too sure if he would come and see me, but after a tearful phone-call he got on his way and came to see us.

By the time he got to me the midwife was pretty sure I would be able to go home that day!

I just had to make sure I kept going to the toilet and feeding Bea!

We cracked it and by 6pm they said we were good to go!

The drive home was so scary due to the amount of snow on the road, 

My mum didn't tell the boys so it was lovely seeing their faces when we finally arrived home with their little baby sister!

They were instantly smitten with her just as we were!

In the days after I developed an infection in my wound, so I had to have twice weekly doctor appointments and was put on strong antibiotics but I recovered in time, I also had to keep having my bloods checked for a couple of weeks afterwards.

I am thankful that my mum was around for a whole month to lend a hand and help me get my nursing established.

It definitely wasn't the birth I was after and it has taken me a while to get my head around it but the main thing is that Bea is here she is amazing, I'm still here and I have recovered well!