I wasn't going to do a birth story as I didn't want to scare any of you girls but I think it might be therapeutic to get it all out. Please be assured that this happens 1 in every 100,000 pregnancies so it is very unlikely it will happen to any of you.
I had a great pregnancy - no major issues, a few pelvic problems that were resolved with some light physio and loved my time having my bump. Around the end of Feb I developed a serious thirst and towards the end of my pregnancy was drinking at least 6 litres of fluid a day - it sounds like I am exaggerating but honestly all I was doing was drinking and going to the loo. I mentioned this to my MW who took some bloods to be tested but I never heard anything back. We were convinced baby was breech so at 37 weeks I was referred for a presentation scan which was booked for when I was 37+5. At my scan it showed baby was head down but measuring in the 5th centile so the sonographer wanted me to get double checked by the maternity assessment unit. This showed my blood pressure was raised and that with baby's measurements I was booked in for induction 2 days later.
Arrived at 2pm for my induction feeling a bit anxious but quickly got settled on the ward, was given a sweep and put on a trace for half an hour. I then got bloods taken and had to give a urine sample and was basically just left to it. Just before visiting time a doctor came to see me to say my bloods were showing abnormalities and questioning on what I had been drinking as it was showing I was dehydrated. They fitted a catheter to monitor my urine output and as a precaution put me back on a trace and took my blood pressure. Everything from here goes a bit hazy, my blood pressure had rocketed and I was told I was going down to the labour ward to be monitored closer and we had to go now - panic started to set in as I had overheard the midwife saying to the women in the next bed they were just waiting on a bed becoming available to move her down to the labour ward.
It was a case of OH and the auxiliary throwing all my stuff onto my bed to move me quickly passed my mum and MIL in the corridor who were waiting to come visit me. The midwife told my mum to come with us as she was my 2nd birthing partner but MIL should head to the waiting room.
I was on the labour ward for no more than 5 minutes had 2 puffs of gas and air as my waters were broken before hearing a doctor say to his colleague that my baby had to be born within the next 10 minutes. I was whisked to theatre no time for a spinal so I was going under general anisthetic, I didn't even get the chance to give my OH or mum a hug or kiss as I was whisked away and could only shout back that I loved them as some doctor was asking me 101 questions about my medical history.
2 hours later I wake up to find out I had a baby boy who was in the special care unit but doing well after needing some help and would be with me soon. My heart rate and blood pressure wasn't stabilising and they had real concerns for my kidneys and liver because of my fluid intake but my bloods saying I was dehydrated. It was then I was told I was sectioned because of pre eclampsia and my baby's heart rate on the trace had dropped to 50bpm, if we hadn't been in the hospital or the midwife had waited until after visiting time to check on me it could have been a very different story for both of us.
Half an hour later Arran arrived to see me in the high dependency unit - the most perfect baby boy weighing 5lb 11oz. I wish I could say more but because of my condition and the painkillers it is all a blur. We stayed in high dependency for 3 days - Arran doing well after having his blood sugars monitored before and after each feed for 2 days, me still baffling doctors with what was going on and going insane because my fluids were limited I was constantly thirsty and lost my voice a bit because of how dry my mouth was.
Eventually I was diagnosed with pregnancy induced diabetes isipidus which meant enzymes from my placenta were attacking my pituitary gland and because of this my kidneys weren't functioning properly and retaining any of the fluids so my body was dehydrated. Apparently it happens to around 1 in every 30,000 people but to be pregnancy induced it's 1 in every 100,000.
On our 4th day we were moved to a general ward and 5th day we got home. Since then Arran has gone from strength to strength and I have made a full recovery. I hate how my first few days with my boy were a blur, I hate how my OH was denied the chance of being at the birth and that I couldn't be conscious, I can't imagine the stress my OH and mum went through sitting in a hospital corridor as more and more doctors arrived to treat us, seeing Arran whisked away in an incubator and waiting 2 hours to see me after being told I would be out of surgery in only 30 minutes. I had a bump to birthday journal book and broke down a few times when filling in the birth pages because a lot of the questions we can't answer.
Like I said I didn't want to scare anyone as it is so rare but just wanted to get all that out. I can't thank the staff who looked after us enough in this day when the NHS is under fire our care in they first 3 days was absolutely faultless. It has put me off ever having another baby but with the choice of not having Arran or going through all that again I would go through it all again in a heartbeat he is amazing
I had a great pregnancy - no major issues, a few pelvic problems that were resolved with some light physio and loved my time having my bump. Around the end of Feb I developed a serious thirst and towards the end of my pregnancy was drinking at least 6 litres of fluid a day - it sounds like I am exaggerating but honestly all I was doing was drinking and going to the loo. I mentioned this to my MW who took some bloods to be tested but I never heard anything back. We were convinced baby was breech so at 37 weeks I was referred for a presentation scan which was booked for when I was 37+5. At my scan it showed baby was head down but measuring in the 5th centile so the sonographer wanted me to get double checked by the maternity assessment unit. This showed my blood pressure was raised and that with baby's measurements I was booked in for induction 2 days later.
Arrived at 2pm for my induction feeling a bit anxious but quickly got settled on the ward, was given a sweep and put on a trace for half an hour. I then got bloods taken and had to give a urine sample and was basically just left to it. Just before visiting time a doctor came to see me to say my bloods were showing abnormalities and questioning on what I had been drinking as it was showing I was dehydrated. They fitted a catheter to monitor my urine output and as a precaution put me back on a trace and took my blood pressure. Everything from here goes a bit hazy, my blood pressure had rocketed and I was told I was going down to the labour ward to be monitored closer and we had to go now - panic started to set in as I had overheard the midwife saying to the women in the next bed they were just waiting on a bed becoming available to move her down to the labour ward.
It was a case of OH and the auxiliary throwing all my stuff onto my bed to move me quickly passed my mum and MIL in the corridor who were waiting to come visit me. The midwife told my mum to come with us as she was my 2nd birthing partner but MIL should head to the waiting room.
I was on the labour ward for no more than 5 minutes had 2 puffs of gas and air as my waters were broken before hearing a doctor say to his colleague that my baby had to be born within the next 10 minutes. I was whisked to theatre no time for a spinal so I was going under general anisthetic, I didn't even get the chance to give my OH or mum a hug or kiss as I was whisked away and could only shout back that I loved them as some doctor was asking me 101 questions about my medical history.
2 hours later I wake up to find out I had a baby boy who was in the special care unit but doing well after needing some help and would be with me soon. My heart rate and blood pressure wasn't stabilising and they had real concerns for my kidneys and liver because of my fluid intake but my bloods saying I was dehydrated. It was then I was told I was sectioned because of pre eclampsia and my baby's heart rate on the trace had dropped to 50bpm, if we hadn't been in the hospital or the midwife had waited until after visiting time to check on me it could have been a very different story for both of us.
Half an hour later Arran arrived to see me in the high dependency unit - the most perfect baby boy weighing 5lb 11oz. I wish I could say more but because of my condition and the painkillers it is all a blur. We stayed in high dependency for 3 days - Arran doing well after having his blood sugars monitored before and after each feed for 2 days, me still baffling doctors with what was going on and going insane because my fluids were limited I was constantly thirsty and lost my voice a bit because of how dry my mouth was.
Eventually I was diagnosed with pregnancy induced diabetes isipidus which meant enzymes from my placenta were attacking my pituitary gland and because of this my kidneys weren't functioning properly and retaining any of the fluids so my body was dehydrated. Apparently it happens to around 1 in every 30,000 people but to be pregnancy induced it's 1 in every 100,000.
On our 4th day we were moved to a general ward and 5th day we got home. Since then Arran has gone from strength to strength and I have made a full recovery. I hate how my first few days with my boy were a blur, I hate how my OH was denied the chance of being at the birth and that I couldn't be conscious, I can't imagine the stress my OH and mum went through sitting in a hospital corridor as more and more doctors arrived to treat us, seeing Arran whisked away in an incubator and waiting 2 hours to see me after being told I would be out of surgery in only 30 minutes. I had a bump to birthday journal book and broke down a few times when filling in the birth pages because a lot of the questions we can't answer.
Like I said I didn't want to scare anyone as it is so rare but just wanted to get all that out. I can't thank the staff who looked after us enough in this day when the NHS is under fire our care in they first 3 days was absolutely faultless. It has put me off ever having another baby but with the choice of not having Arran or going through all that again I would go through it all again in a heartbeat he is amazing
