Sophia was born at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary at 32weeks in 2018 via emergency c-section weighing 3lb 5oz, we spent 23 days in the Neonatal Unit.
Here’s our story…….
We were already parents to two boys aged 2 and 7 and a little girl born sleeping in 2014 when we found out I was pregnant with Sophia.
At around 12 weeks we went for our routine dating scan where we found out that our baby was at risk of having downs syndrome.
We were told we would need to have blood tests done to confirm the possible diagnosis and would find out the results within a few weeks.
At 15 weeks pregnant the blood test came back as a 1 in 5 chance of our baby having Downs Syndrome, we were given the option to terminate the pregnancy but we knew we wanted this baby no matter what the outcome was. Diagnosis or no diagnosis this was our baby and we wanted to give them every fighting chance.
I personally decided that I didn’t want any more interventions and I just wanted to carry on with my pregnancy as normal as possible, so we set a plan with the doctors to just have regular scans to keep an eye on baby.
At 16 weeks we found out we was having a little girl; this was made even more special as we had previously had a little girl in 2014 born sleeping and felt we were been blessed with the chance to experience been parents to a daughter again.
We were made aware very early on that Sophia would need to go to the neonatal unit when she was born for at least 48hours, to keep an eye on her, although we had been given this information nothing prepares you for the Neonatal unit and I certainly wasn’t prepared for it with a premature baby.
Fast forward to the 1st April I was 31weeks 5days pregnant when I started to get pains, I called the maternity unit who asked me to come and get checked, when I arrived, I was put on the monitor. It showed I was having some minor contractions, the doctors decided to take a swab from the neck of my womb to check for pre term labour; the swab came back positive, I was extremely scared at this point and the fears of my previous pregnancy and the outcome with my other daughter came rushing back.
I was taken to my own room where a midwife stayed with me the whole time, I was given my first injection of steroids to try and help our baby’s lungs mature a little more to help with their breathing if they came early.
On the 2nd April the contractions and pain had completely stopped but our baby’s heart rate had started to fluctuate, the midwives and doctor’s agreed that it would be safer to deliver her as soon as possible.
I had no time to arrange childcare with anyone and so my partner couldn’t be with me, I was rushed straight into theatre for an emergency c-section on my own.
Sophia was born on 3rd April 2018 at 6:10am, although I was on my own as my partner had our other children at home, I remember the midwife holding my hand and reassuring me throughout it all.
Sophia was taken straight to the neonatal unit; she was on a machine to help her breath and had tubes and wires all around her. I remember it been the most frightening time of my life, I thought I was going to lose her, but after a few days she seemed to be doing a lot better and was improving every day.
She came off her oxygen support after three days and surprised us every day with her resilience. Sophia was such an easy baby during her stay in the neonatal unit, she reached her weekly weight gain milestones and eventually was able to regulate her own body temperature so she could go into an open cot.
I myself was then discharged from the maternity unit, but I managed to get accommodation right next to the neonatal unit so I could sleep there and be close to my baby, this made things so much easier as I lived an hour away from the hospital.
I was even allowed my son who was 7 at the time to have a sleepover at the hospital with me and Sophia, I remember the nurses giving him some colouring books and pencils and making him feel welcome and comfortable.
The nurses in the neonatal unit were absolutely incredible. They were so caring and not only towards Sophia but towards myself as well, I was encouraged to express milk for her and as this was something I really wanted to do anyway after birth, having the support and encouragement from the nurses and midwives made this more of a positive experience.
I was able to express milk after the nurses got me a breast pump and my milk was then tube fed to Sophia until she could take a bottle.
With Sophia been so small I never had any clothes that would fit her, after speaking with the nurses they informed me the unit had their own little wardrobe and chest of draws full of really tiny baby clothing, they told me to use them rather than buying my own clothes as they grow out of them so quickly, this was one less stress as the premature clothes was so expensive that I’d looked at.
After just over three weeks at The Royal Lancaster Infirmary Sophia was finally well enough to go home with just a prescription for specialised milk to help her continue to thrive and put on weight.
We had a really positive experience at our neonatal unit and I couldn't have done it without the help and support of the neonatal team there.
Sophia is now a thriving five-year-old, who’s cheeky, mischievous and knows her own mind, she attends a school for children with additional needs and it suits her ever growing personality.
She suffers with no long-term effects of been premature, the developmental delays she suffers with are only related and associated with her having Down’s Syndrome.
I hope our story brings you some comfort, maybe even a glimmer of hope that your current situation isn’t your final destination. There will be dark days, they’ll be days you struggle with the concept of it all but remember tomorrow is a new day, new challenges, milestones and fresh hope await you.
Kim
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