pre-eclampsia

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Born too soon

May 3, 2012 in Babyloss | 1 comment

Today a new report is being launched called Born too soon, the global action report on preterm birth.

As I have posted before my first baby boy was born extremely early at just 26 weeks gestation.  We had only a few hours to prepare for his birth and no time to understand what was going on.  I have posted before here and here about my experience but wanted to post again to go through how I felt.

After R was born I was wheeled up to the NICU on my bed and this involved a lot of sharp turns and it seemed as though we were going through basements etc, I later found out this wasn’t what was happening but in my confused state(I had never been inside this hospital before) I felt lost and scared.

On entering the unit I was immediately hit by the heat and humidity as well as the noise, it sounded so chaotic with alarms going off constantly and so much hustle and bustle and this was nearly midnight so I guessed it would have been worse during the day.

On my first sight of R I was so shocked he was so so tiny and curled up.  His skin was bright red and he looked so frail as his fat layers had not been able to have time to form.  He was wearing a hat and even the smallest size looked huge.  R had a tube into his mouth for breathing and a few lines into his body, one through his umbilical cord.

The next couple of days I went round in a fog I had no idea what was happening and was overcome by it all.  A couple of times I had to leave the unit as the heat etc made me feel ill.

Over time I settled in and the unit became my second home, I spent every day from 09:00 to probably about 23:00 sitting beside R reading to him or taking photographs.  I loved holding his hand and he used to squeeze my finger with his tiny hand.  He liked to listen to music and was often comforted by it so we bought him a small toy for inside his incubator that we turned on when he was upset.

Neither MrR or I got to kiss or hold R until he was six weeks old, and we didn’t get the chance until we broke down and asked if we could hold him.  The first cuddle was amazing and one I will never forget.  R calmed down in our arms and his breathing even on the ventilator was a lot better than normal. Unfortunately due to his fragility we weren’t able to repeat this too many times.

My advice for anyone entering a unit would be to try not to be overwhelmed by it all, it isn’t as chaotic as it seems. Try to make it for ward rounds as that was you can be part of the plan for the future. Read the notes and files on your baby you are allowed! Try to be realistic and take on board what you are being told.

Remember this is your baby and you have the right to be involved in all decisions.  Take photographs, videos and if you can get hand and footprints(we couldn’t).

Attend all antenatal checks they are extremely important and can pick up problems when you don’t think there are any. Try to limit any risk factors you can but also try and enjoy your pregnancy and look forward to welcoming your baby home.

#borntoosoon

 

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My experience and signs for Pre-Eclampsia

February 2, 2012 in Babyloss | 1 comment

**this is only my opinion and as such if worried medical advice should always be sought**

I have had Pre-eclampsia twice and both times had different signs and symptoms.  I thought I would put a post on here about my experience in the hope that it may help someone who may be worried they are showing signs but have no real idea of what they are looking for.

Pre-eclampsia can only be halted by the birth of the baby and as such speed is normally of the essence.  Regular appointments to check urine samples etc are extremely important so even if you think you are feeling ok, please still attend your routine appointments to be on the safe side.

The first time I had pre-eclampsia it struck at 25 weeks gestation, the second time not until 35 weeks.  In my third pregnancy I didn’t get it at all and my baby was born at 38 weeks.

In my first experience with pre-eclampsia I had the signs below:

  • I had a horrible stabbing pain at the top of my bump I had never heard of this as being a sign of anything serious so ignored it for over a week.  This epigastric pain is associated with the liver and needs to be taken seriously.
  • I had swollen hands, ankles, legs and while they weren’t horrendous they should have been a warning sign.
  • I had high blood pressure but no real outward signs of this
  • My morning sickness- hyperemisis which had stopped one week before had returned I ignored this as I didn’t know it was another sign!

I didn’t have any of the more common signs I thought identified pre-eclampsia:

  • flashing lights in front of my eyes
  • floaters in my eyes
  • a sharp headache.

But the upshot was once pre-eclampsia was diagnosed my son was born at 26 weeks gestation- you can read about his life here.

In my second experience I got a lot further in my pregnancy.  I worried a lot through this pregnancy but thankfully my blood pressure stayed fairly stable.

At 35 weeks I went to a First Communion Service and after standing for over an hour as I couldn’t get a seat and no-one offered me one I started to feel bad.  That evening I felt unwell but nothing I could really put my finger on.

  • The next day my ankles legs face and arms started to swell and were a lot worse than first time round.
  • As the day wore on my feeling of sickness increased
  • My head began to pound
  • I had floaters in front of my eyes and I generally felt awful – I actually posted on a forum to ask what floaters actually were!

After getting to hospital my blood pressure was high and my urine was full of markers for pre-eclampsia.  I was kept on bed rest for three days and then had a section.

Once my baby had been delivered my health got worse.  Thankfully after numerous medications and two days being kept in solitude with just MrR visiting I was well enough to get back to the ward where I stayed for another week.

There are many research programs taking place but as yet no cure has been found.  I hope that one will be found in the near future as I worry that K may also suffer similarly if she ever had children.

Some links that relate are below:

Action on Pre-Eclampsia

Tommy’s

 

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Milk banks – Every Drop Counts

August 26, 2011 in Babyloss, general | 2 comments

When R was tiny we consented to him getting donor milk as mine had dried up due to stress and medication I was on for pre eclampsia.

When I first heard about donor milk I couldn’t get past the fact that it was someone else’s breast milk and that my baby who be getting that rather than mine.

Due to R’s weight and numerous problems breast milk suited best for the first while and so we gave donated ebm a go.

After R died and I got pregnant again I vowed I would breastfeed. Nothing anyone said would convince me otherwise. I was going to do everything I could to keep K here and alive especially as we had been warned she may be ill when she arrived.

When K was born although I was very ill with pre-eclampsia K fed without any problems. Once home I fed on demand and spent most days at the start cuddling K while she fed.

After a few weeks I decided to contact the only milk bank in Ireland and organised blood tests so that I could donate.

The blood tests were done and thankfully all was fine, I had stopped my medication by now.

The milk bank sent a polystyrene box of empty bottles to me and I began to donate. The milk bank sent me an electric pump to help which worked a lot better than my tiny pump. My freezer started filling up with little bottles all labeled up waiting to be sent on.

Once enough bottles were filled the box complete with bottles went by bus to the clinic. Here the milk was thoroughly tested and sterilised before it was donated to the NICU units that required a delivery.

Unfortunately the milk banks get so little promotion that so few people know it even exists. To me this service is literally a life saver and I like to think that in donating I have repaid my debt to them

Thank you to all the mums who donate and help the tiny and sick babies who need every little drop.

If you want to find out more information check out these links

http://www.ukamb.org/yourmilkbank.html

http://www.ukamb.org/donor.html

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