My pregnancy issues summary

OK, so I got to thinking that not everyone that reads my blog knows my history when it comes to babies and what we are in for and why.. So I thought I should do a summary, will try to make it brief lol

After 4 longs years TTC we finally fell pregnant in 2003 after injections and insemination (IUI) we were estactic. I have essential hypertension, so basically that means that I have high blood pressure all the time and take medication all the time and have done since I was 19 (1995). My sister also has it and my mother did as did/does most of my mothers 6 siblings. No one had ever had a premature baby but being a nurse and especially one that had worked in NICU/SCN I figured our baby would most likely come a little early. By early though I was thinking like 34 weeks! I also knew there was a possibility of havnig to have a caesarean but was still hopeful for a natural delivery.

I developed hyperemisis (severe morning sickness) from very early on so that was my main concern I guess. I was hospitalised for dehydration a few times and lost lots of weight. My blood pressure (BP) started to rise at 8 weeks and my medication was increased. I stopped worked at 13 weeks as was just too sick with the vomiting. My BP continued to increase steadily. At 20 weeks we had our big scan and were so excited to be having a girl. We were told she was measuring a week behind but that was not unusual. We gave it no more thought. At 24 weeks my ob suggested we have another scan just to check things, in hindsite, he was worried about size after doing an examination on me. I went for the scan and the news was terrible :( At 24 weeks Piper was measuring at approx 21-22 week size. I was transferred to RPA in sydney were we were given the full news. I had placenta insufficiency and Piper had severe growth restriction and was unlikely to make it to a viable size. They were unsure whether the growth and placenta issues were solely from the BP issues or some other underlying condition or clotting disorder.

I was given the option to induce and end the pregnancy or be monitored in hospital to see if she would get to a viable size but was told this was unlikely. They wanted her to be at least 500grams.

So christmas day and news years were spent in hospital, crying and hoping and really being very traumatised as each time I hadn't felt her move we thought that ment she had died inutero which they said was the most likely expected outcome.

At 26 weeks 2 days I had a scan that showed that she had reached the goal of estimated weight of 500 grams but that the placenta was on its last legs :( We were offered the choice on what to do now. We chose to go ahead and give her a chance. The neonatologist gave us only a 20% chance of survival due to her size and a 50% chance of major disability :(

At 26 weeks 3 days I had a classical caesarean. A very traumatic experience as they weren't sure if she would survive the trauma of birth. She did. She weighed a tiny 466 grams.

Piper was ventilated and was pretty stable for 10 days, was gaining weight and taking my breast milk into a tube. She was still ventilated which was to be expected. At day 10 she started to deteriote, by day 14 there was no return :( One lung had fully collapsed and the other partially. We chose to hold her for the first and last time and she passed away in my arms.

Please understand this may all sound not very emotional, but as a nurse I guess it is quite easy for me to write the facts like it was someone else and remain quite detached..

During my pregnancy with Piper my sister had her second daughter at 32 weeks and was very very unwell with eclampsia, her girl made it and my sister wil be having no more :(

Next pregnancy came along much more quickly than we ever dreamed. Piper had died in Jan and by July thanks to more fertility drugs I was pregnant again.

I had had so many blood tests to see if I had any underlying issues that may have caused the placenta problem but nothing was ever found. It was decided that perhaps the problem had been caused by my BP or maybe it was just 'unlucky' I off course was hoping for the latter but was terrified and truly thought my body had failed me and that I was a failure as I couldn't even nurture my unborn baby :(

obviously this was a very very stressful pregnancy, every day seemed like an eternity. I again developed hyperemises but thankfully it stopped at 11 weeks and not the whole pregnancy this time. My blood pressure remained stable until an amazing 28 weeks when my medication was increased. I was scanned regularly and our second daughter Laci, surpassed Pipers size well and truly by 23 weeks gestation. After 30 weeks I started getting large amounts of protein in my urine and it was thought that pre eclampsia was on its way again. I had a growth scan at 29 weeks then again at 31 weeks and the difference in weight was only an estimated 15 grams. So basically she had stopped growing. the placenta was still okay but they thought it was only a matter of time. So at 31 weeks 5 days Laci was delivered by standard caesarean weighing 1638 grams. She did amazingly well, on CPAP for only a couple of days and home fully breastfeeding at equivilant of 35 weeks 3 days.

We decided to take a break from TTC and enjoy our girl..

After a year of fertility treatments including inseminations I finally fell pregnant again and it didn't progress :( Was a blighted ovum and I had a D and C at 8.5 weeks.

Then it was onto IVF, on our 2nd and last attempt (I have crappy ovaries and we were exhausted) I fell pregnant.

So here we are. 18 weeks tomorrow. My blood pressure is still good, in fact I am on half my normal dose of medication I take when not pregnant. This is my 'easy time'. Oh yeah I also hyperemisis again and thankfully it left by 13 weeks. I also have the symphysis pubis thing both times, with Piper only mild from about 20 weeks. With Laci from 18 weeks and not really able to walk from 28 weeks and this time, well yeah off work since 16 weeks, not thinking about whats to come with the pelvis at this stage! I have decided it doesn't affect baby and it causes no long term harm to me, so I am just going to deal with it and ride it out. Only 4 more months max anyhow right?

So basically the consensus from all specialised obstetrician is that the same thing will happen again with this pregnancy, it is just a matter of when. My BP will rise, the protein will increase in my urine and the growth will stop on bub. I will have plenty of bloods, BP checks, urine checks, CTG's, scans etc to watch for this closely. From 25 weeks I am on weekly ob appointments. 36 weeks is the latest I can go to due to the condition of my uterus but my ob and I know that that is a dream. She has made all my appointment up till 32 weeks. 32 weeks is the 1st December. So I am hoping and praying we will be having a December baby and no earlier. I will be having steroids at 27 weeks so if things suddenly changed quickly with me that bub could be out.

I can have a baby here in Cairns at 28 weeks as long as bub weighs over 1kg and no other issues such as growth restriction etc if not it will be Townsville.

Anything over 30 weeks would be awesome but obviously the longer the better. I am fantasising about 33 weeks :)

OH yeah and ob is tying my tubes during the caesarean, we are NOT doing this again.

So if you stuck to this for this long, hope it all made sense. Please please leave me a message if you had any other questions. But I figure as things get closer my ramblings will probably make more sense if you know why I am going on about certain things.