Morgan's Birth Story (it's a long one!)

I was half way through my second week of maternity leave when I went to the hospital for my 36wk check up.  My pregnancy had been very 'textbook' so far, nausea for the first trimester then feeling great up until week 32 when my feet started to swell up like little tight pillows! I'd mentioned this symptom to the midwife at the 33wk check up but my blood pressure was fine so she said it was just 'all part of being pregnant'. So it came as a bit of a shock at the 36wk check up to be told my blood pressure was really high and I was admitted straight away. Ironically I'd just started to repack my hospital bag that morning and told Muz we should keep it in the car from now on. But we'd left home without the bag, so once I was admitted poor Muz had to go home and pack while I directed him to where everything was by phone!

Bright & early the next morning I had a blood test and was sent for an ultrasound. Bub was doing great and I got another picture for our collection. My blood pressure was checked every 4hrs and when it showed no improvement later in the day I was prescribed strong blood pressure tablets. Muz kept me company throughout the day and  I hated it when he went home at the end of visiting hours, I just wanted to go home too!

The following morning (Friday) my blood pressure had dropped slightly but the nurse gave me the bad news that if it didn't stay down and stabilise I would be staying the weekend and possibly til I delivered!! I cried at the thought of having to stay in hospital for 4wks! I was put on the monitor to trace bub's heartbeat. I got a break at lunchtime but was back on the monitor for another 3hrs in the afternoon. Muz was planning to go home after dinner but the nurse advised him to stay til after another doc had been in to check the monitor. In hindsight I think they knew at this stage what was going to happen. The doc was concerned that bub was being affected by the blood pressure tablets and he advised I would be moved to the delivery suite for 24hr monitoring. We asked if he thought I might have to have an emergency caesarean but he said they wouldn't be doing anything that drastic just yet. In the delivery suite I went back on the monitor. I asked for a glass of water but they told me I could only have ice and that's when I knew it was all on! Half an hour later the doc advised there was no improvement with the heartbeat so I was being sent to theatre!! I called my parents in NZ crying hysterically as it was all so sudden and I was terrified of having a needle in my back! From then on it all went very quickly. I was wheeled into theatre, crying & shaking like a leaf! I had a spinal block as it was much quicker than an epidural. Muz came in to hold my hand and the next thing I know they're showing us our new baby. IT'S A BOY!! The midwife wrapped him up then practically shoved him in my face so I could give him a quick kiss before he was whisked away again.

Morgan was born at 10.33pm weighing 5lb 13oz and 47cms long! He was 4wks early but they told us he was a good size for a prem baby.

Morgan just 2hrs old!

Morgan was admitted to ICU straight away as he was having breathing problems. I was taken down to the ward at 5am the next day to see my new bubba. It was all a bit surreal, I was so tired as I'd had hardly any sleep and was still on the morphine drip so it was hard to believe that Morgan was here already. I was in shock at how quickly everything had happened. I also didn't realise at first how serious his condition was. He looked so tiny in the incubator, hooked up to all the tubes & machines. He was diagnosed with respitory distress syndrome, which can take between 4-10 days to clear up. So I had to go home without him which was heartbreaking. We visited twice a day for feeds and once he was moved into the open crib we could change his tiny nappy. Our beautiful boy got stronger by the day but it was still a shock to be told when he was 2wks old that he was almost ready to come home! The ICU ward had a 'live in' room where we stayed overnight to get used to caring for our wee man while having the back up of the staff if needed. 17 days later we took Morgan home!! I think it was probably the most exciting & scariest day of my life! 


Looking back, despite Morgan being sick of course, it was all quite a positive experience. I coped really well with the c-section and healed quite quickly afterwards. Most of the midwives on the post natal ward were lovely. The staff in ICU were AMAZING!! They were so understanding when we were stressed or upset and I got one on one assistance from a lactation consultant with learning how to breastfeed, which I am so grateful for!! I've been asked a couple of times since if I was disappointed that I didn't get to experience labour...well with some of the horror stories I've heard I'm actually quite relieved! Not that a c-section isn't painful or without possible risks. But in my situation I had no choice, they had to get Morgan out quick and I'm just relieved they got him out safely, so it doesn't even enter my head to feel like I've missed out or been cheated out of the labour experience. I didn't have a birth plan for the exact reason that if there was an emergency I didn't want to be disappointed afterwards if it wasn't what I'd planned for. My only regret is not getting that precious skin-on-skin contact due to Morgan being in a humidicrib for the first week. 


The larger photo below is Morgan in the open crib and the smaller pics are on his last day in hospital, waiting to go home!