Zachs story:

At 30.5 weeks i had a routine checkup. My bp was up so they sent me to the hospital (was booked in at a birth centre) as they suspected Pre-eclampsia.

Was admitted straight away and told I'd be on bedrest til 37 weeks and then induced. I had no idea what PE even was, nor what it 'meant' to have a premmie so I just kept asking 'when can i go home' and didnt understand why they wouldnt even let me go home to pack my hospital bag.

the next day I had a scan done and they changed my time til delivery to about 2 weeks. I was given a steroid injection to help his lungs deliver.

The next day I had another more thorough scan and they changed it to 'at most 10 days' until he would be born as my placenta hadnt been working, they guessed it stopped wprking properly around 26 weeks.

the next day, 31 weeks I woke up feeling fine, by early afternoon was headachish and panic buttons were hit.

Was prepped for surgery and tiny 2lb 12 ounce Zach was born. He spent almost 6 weeks in hospital and has had some developmental and growth issues but all in well is doing fantastically at 3 years old now.

Isobellas story:

At 32 weeks my BP started creeping again, I'd been paranoid my whole pregnancy and had not had an easy time with SPD, false labour, haemorraging and so on.... I was in hospital on bedrest for a few days and they anticipated i was going to deliver so I was given the steroid injections once again.

A couple of days later i was sent home and though my BP kept rising, it wasnt severe enough to deliver yet.

At 35 weeks I started celebrating for almost getting to the 'home run'.

I went to bed at 1am having just left messages on the internet celebrating that success...

at 4am I awake with a killer headache and panic station was worse than ever. i was rushed to hospital with my bp at 225/165, I was hyperventalating and losing conciousness. It took thme hours and hours to stabilize me, they didnt know what was wrong because it wasnt PE this time just hypertension but my body was shutting down. I was getting ready to be taken to ICU when finally the magnesium sulphate started working and my BP came back down. Within 5 minutes im sitting up asking if I can go home again... HAAAAA!

4 hours later it started again only this time they'd didnt mess around i was rushed in for an emergency c-sect and isobella was born weighing a hefty 5lb 12 ounces!! During surgery my BP actually dropped down very low as more drugs kicked in at last.

Thankfully bella got to come home with me and her only problem was needing some oxygen at birth and then having jaundice but both are common. So far shes doing great, shes 6 months old now and growing WAY too fast for me ... shes the same size at 6 months that zach was at 18 months... its unbelievable the difference.

This time around im only 15 weeks and have bp problems since week 8, things arent looking good and my ob has told me 32 weeks would be 'good' but im booked in for a c-sect at 36 weeks so of course thats ideal. only time will tell tho!