Part 1

Up until 29 weeks my pregnancy had been textbook; however, at 29 weeks pregnant my feet started to swell but with the hot weather we were having I just pushed it aside. Over the next few days it got worse and I wasn’t passing urine so much. My bump had got bigger and I was getting tired easily. Again, with the hot weather I could have easily ignored the symptoms for longer but when I started to get headaches I knew something wasn’t right. I called the day assessment unit who asked me to go in to be checked. My blood pressure was high at 170 sys (my BP is normally text book) so they debated admitting me. After repeat BPs I was sent home with medication to bring it down. 2 days later the headaches and swelling were getting worse. I now also had a lingering pain under my ribs which I just put down to my bump getting bigger all of a sudden. I measured my own blood pressure to see out of interest what it was and was shocked at how high it still was given the medication I was taking so off I went to hospital again. Once on the delivery suite my blood pressure was back up to 170 and my urine was now showing protein ++++ both signs of pre eclampsia. I was given a second medication as my BP was rising even higher. Repeat blood tests showed low sodium and blood count. I was kept in and put on IV fluids to try and increase my sodium levels and given steroid injections to help develop our baby’s lungs in case they had to deliver early.

Over the next 48 hours I had continuous migraines, pains in my legs, I was short of breath just laying in bed and pains below my ribs. Further blood tests showed my sodium levels dropping even further and they couldn’t understand why. My cortisol levels were also abnormal so I was referred to an endocrinologist who sent me for a scan on my kidneys and adrenal glands. The scans showed acute kidney injury but nothing too major. By this point I was barely eating and the consultants still couldn’t find a cause for my continuously dropping sodium levels. The swelling was getting worse and was now pitted and all the way up my back, so bad I had indentations from my clothes when laying down. To the doctors and midwives I didn’t look that swollen; however, when I showed them photos of me before the admission they realised how bad it had gotten and so quickly.

A cortisol test was carried out to find out if my adrenal glands were working properly which they were (A bit of good news!). That night I couldn’t sleep because of the pain in my back and chest. I couldn’t lay flat or even complete a full sentence without becoming extremely short of breath. I knew this wasn’t right and called the midwife who asked the on call doctor to assess me. His diagnosis… gastric reflux but I knew it wasn’t. I was too tired and in pain to disagree. The next night I started getting nose bleeds due to my blood pressure being so high. I had a growth scan of baby which showed she was growing well with an estimated weight of 3lb 4oz. Finally some more good news!. That day I had a visit from the endocrinologist who listened to my chest and back and sent me for an urgent chest x-ray. The chest X-ray showed pleural effusion and heart failure which explained the symptoms I’d been having that night.

My body was filling up with fluid and the consultants couldn’t understand why my sodium levels were still dropping. One summed it up when she called me an enigma.  As a result of their findings, a decision was made to deliver baby the next day via C-section as the risk to both of our lives was too high if we waited any longer. I was moved to ICU for a magnesium infusion ready for the morning when our baby would be delivered at 30+3 under general anaesthetic because they were worried about my heart. I was taken off to ICU where I was kept in an isolation room because my COVID swab had been labelled incorrectly. My whole ICU experience and the following few days were a blur. I had arterial access and was given a magnesium infusion which I couldn’t forget because I felt like my body was on fire.  Baby had monitoring throughout the night by a midwife and I was awake the whole night being monitored and given medication. I had an ECHO on my heart which gave us some positive news that I would be stable enough to have a spinal instead of general anaesthetic. This meant my husband could be in the delivery! 

Part 2

During the C-section I could barely keep my eyes open however I do remember feeling so grateful for the ice pack the anaesthetist put on my head. I felt like I was in a completely different world but when they told me to turn to see my daughter I turned my head to see this tiny beautiful girl who I instantly fell in love with. It was torture seeing her being taken away.

Part 3

I was desperate to leave ICU but my BP was now even higher (hitting 200 sys) and I was also having hallucinations. My sodium levels returned to normal and my swelling dramatically decreased straight after delivery. When they made the C section incision they said I was full of fluid which is why my bump had suddenly grown. 2 days later I was finally let back to the maternity ward where warren was able to stay with me. We would take it in turns going to NICU spending as much time with our little girl as we could. I had a repeat ECHO which showed no lasting damage to my heart. On my 11th day of being in hospital I was finally discharged with multiple medications. I was bruised inside and out and mentally and emotionally exhausted and yet we were still on that rollercoaster of emotions. We walked out of hospital without our baby, something we never imagined happening. The next day I had my daily BP check. Once again it was too high and was readmitted but thankfully just for one night to have my medication changed.

NICU

Now Freya is a healthy 8month old who is full of character and has the biggest beaming smile. This past year has been the hardest year of our lives but we are just so thankful that I listened to my body and the care Freya and I both received.