The Rapid Arrival of Sarah Claire

When we got our BFP and learnt that we would be adding our 4th and final child we were both very excited. The first trimester travelled along fairly well, i did have some bleeding and morning sickness was really bad between weeks 8-12. I went for my 12 NT scan and the results were excellent. I started feeling fantastic at this stage and loved watching my tunny grow.

At my 19 week scan, I was showing as only 17 weeks, so was told to come back in 2 weeks.

I was put on 2 weekly scans as OB was concerned that this baby was developing growth restriction. By 29 weeks it was oficially diagnosed as IUGR (Inter uterine growth restriction)

I had an amnio done at 30 weeks to rule out infection and chromosomal abnormalities, the results came back all clear. The night of the amnio I had a gush of fluid and starting having contractions a few hours later. Was admitted to hospital where they managed to stop my labour.

2 weeks later started contracting again, so another visit to hospital and luckily they managed to stop things again.

By this stage I was put on daily monitoring having a CTG done every day and a bio-physical profile done every second day.

On Friday the 28th November at 33.6 weeks I went in as per usual for my CTG and bio-bysical profile. I sit on the bed and get ready to hear by baby's heart beating away. After 30 mins the midwife still could not pick up the heartbeat. I was starting to worry at this stage so they said we will go and do the bio-physical profile first ad see what position bubs is in. Normally the midwives do the scan check for a few things to indicate that bubs is still happy.

On this day they took me into the room next to the one I usually go into, there they introduced me to a perinatal Doctor and said she was going to assist with the scan.

I was so happy when I saw my babys heart beating away, but she wasnt moving around, maybe she was just sleeping I thought. The Doctor wasnt saying much, but I could see my baby and see her heart beating away so I figured she would tell me at the end that all was ok. She then said to the midwife we need to get Alex on the phone now (Alex was my OB), she then told me that there was a problem with my baby and had I noticed that she hadnt been moving much. She had been a little quiet in the last day, but I also have an anterior placenta so dont feel all the movements. DH had actually asked me that morning if I wanted him to come for the scan, but I said no its only ever very quick so dont stress and I will ger a pic printed out. Had I knew what was going to unfold I would have told him Id love him to come.

They were still trying to get Alex on the phone, the Dr then told the midwife to hold the probe and make sure that the heartrate stays relatively stable, and she told me to lay on my side and try not to move. A few minitues later she returned with Alex, he was actually in the fete monitoring unit checking up on another patient. He came in and said "Your baby isnt doing to well today and we need to deliver this baby as soon as possible, her heart was bradycardic and she had not moved at all during the scan despite them trying to get her to move. He then explained that there was no flow at all through the Umbilical cord so there was no choice but to deliver now.

I asked if I could call DH, but he said there was no time, but would get one of the midwives to call him for me. They then pressed a emergency button and called a Code Green, people came running in the room and I was quickly changed into a gown and rushed downstairs to theatre.

It all happened so quickly. At 1.15 pm I was having an ultrasound thinking look all is good, the heart is beating away.

At 1.54pm on the 28th November my daughter was born by emergency c-section. She weighed just 735g, length 37cms, HC 24cms.

I woke up in recovery at about 3pm, they went and got DH and they bought me in a photo, she was so so tiny, she was in NICU and they said she was doing well. I kept asking DH are you sure she is ok, have you seen her?

It was then time to go up to the post natal ward, they took me past NICU on the way. I was so grogy and my vision was really blurry and they said can you see her, I said yes but I couldnt, all I could see was bubblewrap, apparetly she was under all the bubble wrap to keep her warm.

It was 18 hours before I was able to see her again, she was in a incubator by now and on CPAP. She seemed to be doing well. On the Sunday she wasnt doing so well so NETS team was called and she was transferred to the neo natal unit at the RCH.

Sarah is 6 days old today, she has already overcome a few obstalces but has been taken off her ventilator and put back on CPAP and seems to be gaining some strength.

Welcome to the world to my wee little daughter Sarah Claire.