Hey ladies, as Cheshire mentioned I gave birth to my baby boy yesterday at 28 weeks. He is doing well, his oxygen levels were good and he is breathing better than expected. I hope you don't mind me sharing my story, it's helping me make sense of what happened every time I go over it. I don't want to scare anyone though!
On Wednesday I got my flu jab, and by Thursday I wasn't feeling very well. I didn't feel baby move that much that day so Southmead told us to come in. After a bit of monitoring, they found both our heart rates to be quite high and gave me 2 bags of fluid hoping it was just dehydration. I also got a growth scan which showed nothing abnormal and we got to find out the baby was a boy! But then it got serious and the doctors were talking about delivering my baby and gave me a steroid injection in my leg (for baby's lungs), moved me to the delivery suite and started me on magnesium sulphate (for baby's brain/nerve delvelopment) via a syringe driver (like a drip). The magnesium was really weird. As soon as it went in I felt like I was on fire and started throwing up. After more monitoring, they decided baby was doing much better so I could have something to eat, one last quick monitoring session and could go home.
I had to wait ages to be transferred to another room and then that's when I stated having what I now know were contractions. After about 2 hours the midwife noticed I was really having to breathe through the 'tightenings', she got another consultant involved and they shifted me back to the delivery suite. An internal examination found I was 8-9 cm dilated and baby was on its way. Cue more steroids, more magnesium sulphate and an influx of about 9 people into my room. I think at this stage I had my first melt down and started crying with it really sinking in I was going to have my baby that day. The neonatal team set up, explained what was going to happen and then I was left with a midwife and Sadik to deliver my baby. Two hours later I gave birth to my little baby boy. He let out a little sqwark while the neonatal team waited for the umbilical cord to transfer some blood, the they whisked him off into the special set up in the room to get him breathing properly and other important stuff I was trying not to look at. I delivered the placenta and after that baby was wheeled off to nicu. We hit a change over of shifts and had to wait ages for just some tea and toast and for someone to bring me towels for a shower. More waiting and I was wheeled off to a ward room and then even more waiting til we could finally go see our baby boy. The staff at Southmead are all amazing but bloody hell do I feel sorry for them. It was a busy day and they didn't have nearly enough staff.
Right, sorry for the mammoth amount of text! I'm currently sharing a room with one silent sleeper and one overdue lady who snores like a bloody trooper. I only slept 1.5 hours last night but can't go to sleep tonight. I think I'm still far too wired and in shock. Although, not as shocked as my boss is going to be tomorrow when I tell him I'm off on maternity! Not looking forward to that conversation.
Oh and we haven't named our boy yet, I'm many to be sleeping on Lynton and Elliot and telling Sadik my choice tomorrow. I have no idea!