Trust your own body

Sorry you haven’t heard from me for a few days. I actually had a few blog posts planned that I wanted to share with you all but the other night baby K gave us quite the scare and I just haven’t had the time to update you all since.

On Sunday evening, I told Rory I was going to lie down upstairs for a while as I just felt ‘off’. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I just didn’t feel right. About half an hour or so past and I started experiencing what I would describe as tightenings in my stomach. They weren’t painful but they were a bit unusual and nothing like I’d ever felt before. I left it another 30 minutes or so until I noticed that the tightenings started to get more regular and a bit stronger. That was when I decided to give the hospital a ring and explain my symptoms to them. Once I’d spoken to them they were eager to get me in and seen to as I have already had one pre term birth already so are at risk of having another.

Upset, I got my things together and dropped Kory at my mums house which was upsetting in itself as he was a bit confused as to why he needed to go there just as I was getting him ready for bed and I really didn’t want to leave him.

Once me and Rory arrived at the hospital, we were seen to very quickly. Which other than the obvious was just as well really because I was a wreck. I couldn’t stop crying. I hadn’t stepped foot back in the hospital since having Kory and seeing the nicu where he spent the first two weeks of his life was all just a bit too overwhelming.

One of the midwives took us into one of the delivery suite rooms and asked me my symptoms again and how I was feeling. I told her what had happened and that I wasn’t in any pain just a bit of discomfort. After that she checked me over and I couldn’t believe what she said next. She informed us that what I was experiencing was actually full blown contractions and that our baby could possibly make an appearance that very same evening at just 26 weeks gestation but that they would try their absolute best to stop the contractions.

We were in complete disbelief, I was inconsolable and I can honestly say I have never seen myself in a state like that before. I just couldn’t keep it together and fell to pieces in the hospital room. I remember just screaming and looking around the room frantically. I was having flash backs from when I had Kory knowing that what we went through then was hard enough with him being born at 34 weeks yet this baby was going to be here at just 26 weeks! I was worried she wasn’t going to make it and every time I thought about how small she was going to be I cried harder.

That night we had to stay over at the hospital and after lots of medication, drips and observations the midwives did manage to slow down my contractions and luckily my cervix hadn’t opened and my womb wasn’t reacting to the contractions meaning that it wasn’t likely that I was going to give birth.

The next morning I was moved to another hospital just as a precaution incase the contractions started again so that I could deliver her at that hospital instead of my chosen hospital as they don’t take baby’s below 27 weeks gestation as opposed to this other hospital that have a bigger nicu. After more observations and still no sign of anymore contractions, the second hospital were happy to send me home which is where I have been since Monday evening.

But we are still not out of the woods. They can’t tell me what brought the contractions on, a few theories was that I may have just over done it or that I had an irritated bladder which had interfered with the wall of my womb but these are all just guesses. I have been given strict orders by the midwives, nurses and consultants to take it easy and to rest and that if the contractions start again I am to go straight back to the hospital and they will repeat the same procedure again to prevent the contractions again. So that is exactly what I have been doing. I hate sitting around while everyone else runs around after me, I feel like a bit of an invalid but I understand that for at least the next few weeks to keep baby K cooking hopefully a whole lot longer it is what’s necessary.

Throughout the whole of this ordeal I honestly don’t know how I would have got through any of it without Rory. He is my rock and he was so strong for both of us despite being just as scared as I was but he remained level headed and kept it together and supported me through everything. I am so lucky to have this man in my life, he is amazing. Dads do not get enough credit.

All of the midwives and nurses were amazing and I have them to thank for keeping our baby safe. Our NHS is brilliant and we are so blessed.

I also owe massive thanks to my mum for taking care of Kory and my Nan and grandad for taking care of the house, pets and everything else and even me today while Rory had to work.

That was one hell of a scary experience, quite possibly the scariest thing I have ever had to go through in my entire life and I hope we don’t have to go through it again any time soon or ever again but no matter what happens we have so much support and I am so grateful for everyone around us.

So please if you’re reading this, keep your fingers crossed for us and hope that baby K stays in for quite some time yet!