#myneonatalstory

On 17th November it is World Prematurity Day. A day that now means something to me. A day where many parents, will reflect on their experiences of the neonatal care their baby or babies received. For many, there will be some amazing memories but also some upsetting ones for sure. 

This time last year, I was expecting my first child, Ivan. I thought, I still had plenty of time still as he wasn’t due until 4th Feb. Little did I know that he would arrive much earlier than expected. It was a very worrying time for myself & Krupesh (my husband) as you can imagine as I was only 31 weeks pregnant when I gave birth. 

My waters had actually broken at 28 weeks and I spent a week in hospital segregated from everyone as I was completing 14 days isolation as Krupesh had caught covid. Luckily he was okay. 

It was a stressful time as I was told that the worst case scenario would be that I would need to give birth as soon as 3 days. But I was also told that I could still go on to stay pregnant until 37 weeks. I was told that the next 72 hours were critical. I knew I was in the best place as I was carefully monitored by the midwives & doctors but it was horrible staying there in a room all by myself.

After a week I was discharged but was told to monitor my waters & wellbeing and I was to go for a blood test once a week at the hospital to check for any sign of infection. I was a nervous wreck at home as I was constantly checking for the signs of infection which I had been told to look out for. I had a few scares so had gone in to hospital to get checked out but all was still okay.

Then one morning (3 weeks after waters broke) I felt an unusual pain on the side of my bump. I called the maternity unit and explained what I was feeling. They didn’t seem too concerned, so I took their advice to take painkillers & go back to bed. 

However, it got worse & although I didn’t really know what contractions felt like, this pain was coming and going every couple of minutes so I had got it into my head that I was in labour. The hospital asked me to make my way there as soon as possible so that I could be be monitored. I remember putting my shoes on & saying to my husband ‘this baby is coming out today- I know it’. 

After an hour or so of being monitored at the hospital the staff realised that something was not right as mine and Ivan’s heart rate was incredibly high. At this point, I was in agonising pain. I was feeling very low as I was all alone due to covid rules Krupesh wasn’t allowed to come with me. He was patiently waiting in the car park constantly texting me and encouraging me to stay calm & positive.

As things were not getting any better, I was then sent to a birthing suite, where numerous consultants, doctors, midwives & healthcare assistants were around me asking me questions snd doing several different checks. Finally, Krupesh was allowed to be with me. 

Soon after, a consultant told me that they suspected some sort of infection which meant that the baby had to be delivered asap by an emergency c- section. I wasn’t too shocked but I was in so much pain that I just wanted it to be over with. 

Unfortunately, due to them not knowing at the time whether the infection was covid related (they did a test but results hadn’t come back) they wouldn’t let Krupesh come into theatre. He had to stay put in the maternity suite and wait there until the c- section had been completed. 

Ivan was born 2nd December at 3.31pm. I remember the surgeon holding him up so I could catch a glimpse of him before they took him away. The first thing I noticed was his full, pouty lips! I instantly fell in love. 

After the successful c-section I was taken back to the room I was in before where I was greeted by Krupesh & some lovely midwives who looked after me so well. I felt reasonably well considering what I had just been through. I kept being told by the staff that I looked really well but the stats on the machine showed otherwise. 

My temperature was soaring, my oxygen levels were low & my heart rate was through the roof. I had a suspected case of sepsis. I couldn’t go down to NICU to see Ivan because of this. However, they had an ipad there for me and I was able to see him via live video streaming. 

It took me a few days to recover and I was finally able to go to see Ivan 3 days later. He was in an incubator and seeing him with all the tubes connected to him and the CPAP covering most of his little face was heartbreaking. They had also put him on anti- biotics just in case the infection had spread to him.

The staff were amazing. They got us involved in Ivan’s daily care with changing his nappies & feeding him via NG tubes. I was extremely nervous but also didn’t want to show this as I was worried they would think I was not up to the challenge. Thankfully he was only on a ventilator for a day. 

I finally got to hold him and have my first skin to skin experience when he was 5 days old. It was an amazing feeling but again I was so nervous about holding him as he was so small & fragile. But the nurses were very reassuring that I wouldn’t be causing him any discomfort or pain. 

This was also the day that I was discharged from hospital. The drive home was very emotional. I was sad that we weren’t taking our baby home but also relieved that I was able to go home with my husband after a very traumatic experience. 

When we got home, we received a phone call from the hospital to inform us that Ivan needed to be moved out of the NICU that he was in and transferred to another neonatal unit elsewhere in the country. 

This added to our anxiety but the nurse reassured us that it was a positive move as he no longer needed the high level of care that they provided. We were also lucky that the hospital they moved him to wasn’t too far and he was only there for one night before being moved to another neonatal unit back in Leicester. This is where he stayed for the next 4 weeks. 

In hindsight, although it was a very difficult time for Krupesh & I it was such an incredible journey and we are so thankful for the care and expertise of all the healthcare staff that were involved in looking after Ivan. Not only did they look after our boy, they also looked after us. They also taught us and encouraged us to be brave and do things that we were afraid to do like taking him out of the incubator and putting him back, feeding him via the NG tube etc 

Honestly the list of things that the staff helped us with is endless. I will forever be grateful to them all. They became like family. I would like to shoutout & acknowledge all of the staff at the neonatal unit at the Leicester General Hospital, University Hospital Coventry & Leicester Royal Infirmary. 

Although Ivan spent most of his time at the Leicester General Hospital, every single staff member that were involved in mine & Ivan’s care in all 3 hospitals are all super heroes! 

Ivan is now approaching 11 months and is thriving! He is a happy little chappy & we are just so thankful that he is healthy & strong despite his bumpy start!