Miracle mum Emma shares Hazel’s story:

I had an eventful pregnancy, followed an early miscarriage, multiple failed NIPTs and then an amniocentesis after being told I was high risk for a few trisomy’s. It was a long wait, and I hid my pregnancy as long as I could. Fortunately, everything was fine, and I saw a midwife about 24 weeks. My protein was a little high and I had started getting some swelling but was told to go and have a wonderful Christmas and see me in the new year. Over the holiday, the swelling became almost unbearable, and I developed terrible headaches and chest pains. My partner suggested I started recording my blood pressure and wrote it down several times a day in a paper diary.

I next saw my midwife at 28+6. My protein had skyrocketed, and the obstetrician was called in to review things. He looked at the BP record I had, the swelling, my protein and immediately sent me to our local Rockingham Hospital. It was like the rolled out a red carpet as the minute I arrived I was taken to a room and had nurses and doctors checking everything. All the while I still thought things were fine, and I’d be sent home and a code blue was called and everyone rushed to stabilise to me so I could be transferred to King Eddies. Once I was stable, I was raced by ambulance. After further attempts to control my BP, they decided it was safest to induce me and I got steroid jabs. Unfortunately, the induction didn’t progress and, in the morning, I was rushed in for a caesarean. I don’t recall the birth, but was fortunate to touch Hazel on the head before she was raced to the NICU. My partner met her in the NICU, as he didn’t make it in time for the birth.
I stayed in special care, and it was two days before I could visit Hazel. It was another day before I was able to hold her. The next two days I had to wait for a nurse to be available to take me down to the NICU and when they finally removed my drip and send me to the ward, I was free to come and go as I pleased. I was discharged after a week. We fortunately had a relatively smooth NICU stay and were transferred to FSH when Hazel was less than two weeks old and then to Rockingham at six weeks old. She spent four days in Rockingham before we were able to bring her home.

She turned 3 today and the week leading up still brings back some traumatic memories, but it cannot outweigh the joy of our beautiful girl and watching her grow.