The birth of my tiny daughter 12 weeks early
I shared the birth of my little 25 weeker so I thought that I would share my other little miracles birth at 28 weeks…she is now two and such an awesome little girl.
We were surprised when we feel pregnant only 4 mths after Emily was born but over joyed to be adding to our already large family.
I had been in and out of hospital since 19 weeks with this pregnancy with what they said was an irritable uterus….the tightenings where close together and scary at times. They didn’t seem to be making any real changes to my cervix.
Tuesday 18 Nov 08 DH took me into our maternity hospital with regular BH/contraction. I was 26 weeks pregnant. They were showing to be very regular and strong on the CTG machine. I was given nefedipine, morphine and phernegan to try and stop the contractions. The midwife did an internal…she said she could not feel my cervix so it must be nice and high…relief. The doctor then came around and decided to check herself…she said the reason the midwife could not find my cervix because it was so thin…I was fully effaced and 2-3 cm dilated.
The drugs kicked in and the pains slowly tapered off.
Wed 19 Nov 08 During the day things where all quiet but the tightenings started up again that night…I ended up in the labour ward on a concoctions of drugs to try once again to keep my baby girl cooking. Fortunately it worked again. I was aloud back up to my room the next day.
fri 22 Nov 08 Despite the fact my cervix was in a critical position they decided to send me home on bedrest as they needed the hospital beds.
Sat 23 Nov 08 I was sitting on the lounge chatting on the computer, my DH was out the back cooking a BBQ tea.
I was leaning forward typing and I felt a pop and heard a big splash hit the floor boards… my waters had just broken! I yelled for DH who came running in from outside took one look at me soaking and panicked. We had to ring my mum and the hospital who obviously said to come in.
My mum met us there and took Miss 10mths with her (the older 4 where at their dad's). Contractions started a few hours later so I was taken to labour and delivery. My homebirth midwife meet us there. (love her :D)
I felt the pressure in my bottom and my midwife knew I was getting close. All of a sudden the room filled with people (doctors, peads, consultant, neonatel nurse etc) and everything just stopped!! It was like my body panicked and just screamed on the brakes and shut up shop. My HBM agreed, she had experienced it before.
Everybody left and I was monitored for the rest of the night.
Sun 24 Nov 08 I had a bit of a bleed so the keep me in L&D until Monday morning.
Mon 25 – Sun 31 Nov 08 I spent the next week in a round of obs, scans, leaking, making friends with the other girls (the broken waters club ), going to morning craft and hanging out for DH and my kids visits...I was pretty much told I was in hospital till I had bub.
Then on Mon 1st Dec 08 everything changed...
I had been sent down to the path lab in the morning to do my GD test. Went back to my room had lunch. I got up and went to the bathroom. While sitting there I felt a tickle sensation just inside my Veejayjay…I just just put my finger in to itch it (sorry TMI) and felt five tiny little toes…I could grab her foot :o
I went back into my room and said to my roommates I think I just felt my baby girls foot. They looked at me in panick…and yelled at me to ring for a nurse ( I think I was in shock) so I rang the buzzer for the nurse and told her what happened...she immediately laid me on my back and my doctors came very quickly. She did a speculum exam and said there was definitely a foot sticking out of my cervix...I four heads peering inside me with a dolphin torch with a look of utter shock on their face. They then did a quick u/s and could indeed see her foot disappearing into my cervix!
Things moved very quickly from there, I was laid flat and wheeled out on the bed to surgery. (It was like the movies...watching the corridor lights go over my head) I had to ring DH to come in quickly as we are having our baby, because we had had a few labour scares I don't think it really sunk in how serious this all was...he asked if he can stop of on the way to drop something of for work...my response was a resounding NO!
I was terrified!!!
I was laying in the prep room with about 10 people working on me and talking to me...I was just freaking, my head was going 1000miles and hour trying to process what was going on. They did my epidural and wheeled me into theatre...there were people everywhere, there were about 20...3 anaesthetists, doctors nurses, peads, neonatal nurse, midwife. The anaesthesiologist rang DH to see how far away he was, I was getting scared that he wasn’t going to make it and kept asking for him.
He arrived just as they were opening me up. He had my miss 13 and master 6 with him...they had to wait outside the theatre until my mum came and picked them up.
They had to do a classical c/s because she was so early and the bottom half of my uterus was not properly formed yet and she had
It was a weird sensation, I could feel them pulling and pushing but there was no pain. I could hear the doctors discussing how to get her out because she was in such an awkward position. Head right up the top and her foot jammed straight down into the birth canal.
It took them a bit to get her out...Amy (my ob) said that Indy started crying (tiny little sound like kittens meow) as they were pulling her out. Hearing her little cry was the most beautiful sound!!
They took her over to work on her, put the ventilator in and weigh her. She was a tiny 1045g. She had Apgars of 4 and 8.
They wheeled her over for me to see and have a very quick touch before they whisked her off to the NICU, DH went with her. Being put back together was very uncomfortable.
It was very lonely it was the first time I had not held my baby straight after birth...I felt a very lost.
I then spent 25 min in recovery and then wheeled up to my own room.
I kept bothering them to take me down to see her… 2 hrs later DH and the midwife wheeled me down to have a very quick visit with my gorgeous girl. She was so tiny and so perfect.
It was so hot and humid in the NICU, after just a short time I felt very dizzy and uncomfortable and had to come back up.
We got back to the room and as they tried to get me out of the wheel chair I passed out…it took four of them to get me into the bed (and I am only petite). A few hours rest and some o2 and I was right.
She spent 9 long weeks in the nursery with out to many major setbacks. She was only ventilated overnight and did a week breathing on he own before needing some CPAP.
I didn't realise how dangerous it was...if her foot could get out of the hole in my membranes and cervix then so could the cord and that is a real risk to bubs life...I am so glad she stuck her foot out that day and I have my gorgeous special little girl.
