I started writing this yesterday and will continue to add to it over the next 2 weeks.

I was meant to write this last night, but I actually forgot which isn’t such a bad thing…

Anyway Two years ago on the 10th of Feb I was 28 weeks exactly. I had a quiet day, sitting on the couch, caught a cat-nap, played cards with mum and was just generally relaxing. It was a Saturday and there wasn’t much really going on anyway. My grandparents were over visiting and we were all sitting out on the verandah chatting. I needed to go to the loo and excused myself. After going I had a small leak and my thought was ‘dammit I’ve peed myself!’ I was thinking that I didn’t empty my bladder fully, so I grabbed another pair of knickers went back to the loo changed and then the same thing happened… ‘hmm this is strange’ So this time I grabbed a pair of knickers and a pad…. I didn’t even get to change… but was lucky to be on the loo went splash… ‘hmmm that’s not right’ I put my clean knickers on with the pad and went back out and sat with my parents and grandparents, who were just about to leave anyway. I waited for them to leave and I said to mum, ‘I’ve just leaked a heap of clear liquid’ and her response was when? ‘just before when I went to the loo’ ‘I thought you’d been in there a while, sounds like your waters’ ‘and that means, what exactly?’ (yes I was pretty naive… ) ‘well it means that your waters have gone and you will probably be in labour soon’ ‘but I’m only 28 weeks!’ Anyway…. mum rang SDH who said get to a hospital ASAP if I am in any pain…’no shes not in pain’ the reply was how far from KEMH are you and can you get there, yes we can get there but it’s and hour and a half away. Start heading there, we can’t see you here she’s way too early. Ummm ok….

I chucked a few bits in a bag and we left, at approx 6:45pm we are only about 5 mins down the road and the phone rings, it’s SDH, forgot to say that if you start to experience ANY pain at all please call in here and we’ll put you in an ambulance.

At approx 8pm we arrive at KEMH emergency dept. Mum spoke to the lady at the desk and explained that I was 28 weeks my waters have broken and SDH have referred us here. Yes yes we are expecting you, grab a wheelchair and wait there. I had only just sat down in the wheelchair and someone came out and said ok lets go. (I’m thinking where are you taking me!) We go up to the Maternal Fetal Assessment Unit (MFAU) where they have a bed waiting for me along with a Dr and nurse. I’m strapped to a monitor, my BP is taken, I’m asked a whole range of questions, an iv is put in and I’m started on some drugs, including steroids. Many Dr’s come in to speak with me, I remember one Dr in particular, the neonatologist, he was such a handsome man. He was explaining what the steroids will do ect. We stay up there until around 11pm when they move me to the ward, and mum has to go home.

Mum slept in her car outside the hospital expecting to be called back in.

11 Feb 2007
In the morning mum was there at 8am on the dot. The neonatologist came in and told me what the chances of survival where for a 28 weeker He told me that my baby had approximately 70% chance of survival and of those 70% that survive 20% will have ongoing problems such as CP, Autism, ect. I asked him a bunch of questions including how long we’d be down here for. his reply was that generally most babies are in until their due date. He left and some other Dr’s came in after them a social worker came in and I had a good chat with him.

I had an u/s just after lunch which showed that my baby was approximately 1108grams (funny how I never leave of the my baby was doing very well despite the lack of fluids. (I didn’t want to know what we were having) The baby was fully engaged and it was ‘unlikely that I’d still be pregnant tomorrow’ (those were the exact words).

Throughout this whole thing, I was actually quite positive only had a little cry, I really thought that everything would be ‘normal’ and that the baby would be just small, even though the Dr’s had explained to me what might happen, I still thought, ‘no that wont happen to me’. It didn’t really sink in until Sunday afternoon, when my lovely midwife took me down to the SCN. She showed me the NICU, from the outside of course. I remember her pointing through the window at a little wee bub, and the words ‘this baby was born at around 28 weeks’. That’s when it sunk in… that’s when it hit me… all the machines… the wires… the tubes…

Needless to say I didn’t sleep well that night…. and neither did my mum, who actually managed some emergency accommodation next to the hospital.

12 Feb 2007
It’s been a rather an emotional day, I’m not sure what to expect anymore, how much longer I’m actually going to be pregnant. I’m sick of being on bed rest. I’m sick of not being able to go outside. Sick of being woken up every 4 hours for Obs!

I have also now completed the round of steroids and am taken of the labour stopping drugs. The only thing I am taking now is Antibiotics, to ward off infection. Now that the steroids are on board they were going to let my baby come.

13th of Feb…

The doctors are all still amazed that I am in fact still pregnant, they honestly thought that after my waters breaking my baby would be here within 24 hours, but to still be there 3 days later is awesome. My spirits were staring to get a bit higher today. I made friends with a lady in the same room as me, who had already been in hospital for 7 weeks.

By mid afternoon, the pains had started. I had mild back pain along with lightening’s and just generally uncomfortable. I was now experiencing pre-labour, The midwife kept checking on me as I think she fully expected me to progress into full labour very quickly. It was the start of a VERY long 10 days…. as soon as the real pains started to get more frequent I told my midwife, she came in and could feel mild contractions. Within 20 mins or so, they stopped. At this stage I wasn’t sure what was really happening and tried my best to stay calm and positive.

14th of Feb 2007…

Today started like it had the past few days, with Ob’s done at around 6am. Breakfast comes in at around 7:30 and then the Dr’s anywhere up to 11am. Mum is still staying down in Perth with me, she’s been to Target to buy the both of us some new clothes to wear. Today one of the ladies in the room with me gets to go home, she had the window bed. I pleaded with my midwife to get moved to the window side and she allowed me to!! I now have a view of Subiaco, Subiaco Oval and the city of Perth.

Nothing much really happened today, the same pains are still there but nothing seems to be progressing.

15th Feb 2007

Again this day started like the previous had done, Obs at 6am breakfast around 7:30-8am, Dr’s around by 11am. This day mum had been down to the shops and bought some cards for entertainment. I also decided that it appeared I was going to be in a while so ordered the TV. Around an hour or so after lunch is when all the fun began…. I was getting regular pains, some which were making it hard to breathe. I let my midwife know. She could feel some contractions as they were happening and I was rushed to the labour ward. Once down in the labour ward I was hooked up to the CTG, the only thing the machine picks up is my baby’s heartbeat…it doesn’t show the contractions! The midwife on that day said that the machine wasn’t accurate and was just a guide, and that because I was labouring in my back it was harder to pick up (or something like that) After 3-4 hours, things settled down and I was sent back to the ward.

16th Feb 2007

Another day of pains and Ob’s. Nothing really happened today.

17th Feb 2007

Still nothing progressing, still having pains. DP comes down to visit for an hour or so. Mum goes home to do some housework and change of clothes ect. She had been staying down with me since he previous Saturday, mostly sleeping in the car and random hotels if she was able to get a bed.

18th Feb 2007

Today, I’m starting to get really sick of the hospital food. They never put enough on your plate I’m pregnant feed me! lol.
Still in pain, pains are getting more intense and I am now started on some panadol and heat packs for pain relief. I’m also given sleeping tablets after my midnight Ob’s. 4 hours solid seep is better than none.
Some more family visit today, I now have some fresh fruit and some recent mags to read.

19th Feb 2007

Today starts as the last week has, obs and then breakfast. Mum comes in to visit as soon as the ward opens, 8am. Now we have a collection of things to do, UNO, poker, Canasta and Euchre. Cards are easy to pack away if need be. mum has also started bringing in outside food, the breakfast is not sufficient enough to hold me over until lunch comes and lunch is not sufficient enough to hold me over until dinner comes.

Today my team of doctors are happy with things appearing somewhat settled. I am actually given permission to go down into the town of Subiaco to do some shopping! OMG I dont think I could have left that room quick enough! We were given a time to be back by for Ob’s.

Mum and I were a bit naughty though, instead of going into Subiaco we actually went out to Carousel, which for those in Perth know that that’s not a little drive from Subiaco. LOL. While we were there I bought some more clothes and even bought a few tiny little things for bubs.

We were back by the designated time and everyone was happy.

After I had my Ob’s done we went up to the ward lounge to play some cards. During the game of cards I once again started to feel more regular contractions, bugger, must have been all that walking around! This time instead of going to the labour ward I was shipped of to MFAU (Maternal fetal Assessment Unit) There we stayed for around 2 hours and they were happy that things were going slowly and I was sent back to the ward…. just in time for dinner!

20th Feb 2007

Yet another day of pains and Ob’s. Hospital is really starting to get to me and I’m also making, what I now regret making, comments about how I just wanted it to be over. I just wanted him out.

21st Feb 2007

Is much the say as the day before. At least i’m getting otuside a bit more for fresh air….

22nd Feb 2007

When will it be over already! I’m sick of being in hospital, sick of being woken every 4 hours for ob’s, sick of hearing babies crying, sick of being woken because the lady next door wants to watch tv at 2am….. GET ME OUT OF HERE!
Oh and to top it all off, I now have a newborn in my shared room…BUT it’s not the newborn which is the issue I can sleep through that, it’s the damn mother who talks to her baby in a normal voice ALL NIGHT LONG! SHUT UP I’M TRYING to SLEEP!

Since Friday the 16Th of Jan, Brendan has been sleeping in a toddler bed.

My expectations were that we’d have to keep putting him back in it, that he’d cry and whinge and basically not go to sleep.

BUT… I have had NONE of that! Except the very first night, but that was because he hadn’t seen his dad for a few days….

So Anyway this is our bedtime routine…

I tell him to find his rag and dummy (can usually find the rag, but not the dummy)
I tell him its time to go to bed, and he follows me into his room
He goes straight to the dresser and motions for the dummy (unless he already has one)
Then he goes and lays down in his bed while I turn the night light on.
Then I kiss him goodnight and say “ni-nis”
And close the door.
Most mornings he wakes around 6:30-7am and comes into our room.

I cant believe how easy it has been, it has been easier to put him to sleep in his bed than his cot. I think the main reason for that is because he knows he can get out of the bed when he wants to.