Theo, 31 weeks

Miracle mum Sophie shares Theo's story:

We found out I was pregnant not long after our wedding Theo was a true honeymoon baby so a bit of a surprise but a pleasant one. My pregnancy was normal to start with just some nausea but nothing too bad and everything was pretty normal. It was about 24 weeks when I started to get swelling in my feet at my next OB appointment I was 31 weeks now, my Dr noticed the swelling and took my blood pressure it was a little higher then it should be and he ordered bloods and urine test. Both came back slightly elevated indicating preeclampsia could be imminent, he then wanted to see me weekly, we didn’t make it to that next weekly appointment….

About 4 days later I woke in the night with bad back ache thinking not too much of it just pregnancy pain. My husband rubbed my back and I walked around the house a bit trying to get more comfortable. The back pain stopped but I then started getting pain up my left arm and into my chest. Pregnant or not pregnant chest pain is never good so we went into hospital to get everything checked out.

We arrived about 1am and they hooked me up to monitor to check on baby and he was doing great next they went to take my blood pressure but couldn’t get a reading, so in another midwife to try still couldn’t get a reading by this point my husband was set up on the pull out couch, finally they bought in a bigger blood pressure cuff and they got a reading. The midwife ever so calmly informed my husband he might want to get up now and there would be a few people coming in the room. My blood pressure was through the roof and she had called a code.

Next thing about 5 or 6 people came in the room with a crash cart I had two either side putting IV’s in each arm, another giving me medication to take orally and something putting a catheter in. All this going on the thing that I still remember most is my husbands face in the corner of the room looking terrified. This was severe early onset preeclampsia and my baby was coming soon the goal was keep him and I safe long enough to get some steroid shots in for his lungs.

I was transferred to Fiona Stanley Hospital, the nearest hospital that was equiped to deal with both me and his gestation.

The next 24 hours was hell if you have ever had a magnesium drip you know… not only that the pounding headache and constant throwing up. We managed to get two steroid shots in before Theo started to get stressed and it was time to meet him.

A c-section was the only option really for both our safety my body probably wasn’t going to handle labour at that point. Theo came out screaming much to everyone’s relief I just remember thinking how tiny a fragile he looked. Theo was taken straight to the NICU to start on cpap I unfortunately earned myself a 24 hour minimum stay in ICU and would be another 12 hours before I was determined well enough to see him and another 12 hours after that before I was moved to postpartum ward and could finally hold him for the first time.

Theo spent 6 weeks total in the NICU where we dealt with a septic infection that nearly cost us our boy and a lot of feeding issues. We were so thankful to meet Megan from miracle babies during nurture time I remember a nurse telling us about her and I thought I don’t have time for that right now but my husband encouraged me to go with him to meet her she was such a comfort in that moment to have someone who really understood what we were going through having had two miracle babies herself. I then saw Megan every Tuesday as she got to watch Theo grow bigger and stronger and I could share all his milestones.

Megan also told us about nurture group while we were in NICU and I decided I’d sign up and see what we thought it’s now being over two weeks and we’ve only missed a few every fortnight it’s such a great place to connect with other parents going through or have been through the NICU journey and understand how different having a preemie baby can be we have also made some amazing friends from nurture group. Forever thankful to miracle babies for the support when you feel like nobody could possibly understand and it will be a sad day when Theo ages out of nurture group but we aren’t thinking about that just yet.