To remind myself how far I've come - my debt diary. - SOA added

Sea78

Oh honey!!!! I can't believe it! how scary but what a fantastic result that he's her safe and well. Big big hugs to you - must have been such a shock!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD BABY TOM!

Do you need little baby clothes - I have a few (would be v cheap to send!!) if you do - some lovely ones

Sending you quick healing vibes

sea xxxxxx

chocaholic110

Argh, you know how annoying it is when you write a long post and lose it all!!!

Will try this post again but add it in small parts and keep editing, so if I lose it I don't lose much!

So... after Tom's birth all was more or less when and we didn't seem to be any worse off for the drama of the birth. The hospital I was in works with the midwifery led unit at my local hospital and you can transfer there for after care. We wanted to do this as it's a lot closer to home, there are no visiting restrictions, you get a private room and partners can stay overnight. However, they will only accept you if there are no problems. So we asked if we could be transferred. The first day they said no as my temp and heart rate were still too high. The second day they said possibly, checked there was a room available (there was) and said I could probably move in the afternoon. The midwife on duty said she would run a full blood count just to make sure before going (as she said if I got there and there was a problem I would just have to come back). By four o'clock there were still no results back.

At 4.30 I had my second "Casualty" moment. The room suddenly filled with doctors, student doctors, midwifes and auxilliaries who drew the curtains round and said the blood results showed I had platelet levels a quarter of what they should be, iron levels of half of what they had been and "abnormal liver function" They took me to a private room on the labour ward where they said I could be monitored more closely and I spent the next day or two being medicated, injected, having blood taken, blood pressure monitored, urine output measured and tested etc etc. They said I possibly had something called HELLP syndrome which I've never heard of (and I read a lot about pregnancy symptoms!). After a couple of days they said everything except the iron levels were slowly returning to normal and I could go back on the ward. After a night on the ward i asked to go home and they said I could as long as I had a blood transfusion first, that I agreed the community midwife could continue to do daily monitoring and that after a week I would have blood tests and liver function tests and go back in for treatment if necessary. (Hoping not to have to do this as I am eating everything I can containing iron to force my iron levels up)

The midwife came today and said my blood pressure is going back up so to rest more (OH is quite adamant about this, to the point of being bossy!!) and she says that it could either have been HELLP syndrome or her opinion is that I have had obstetric cholestasis but didn't have the itching symptoms along with severe anaemia. Frankly looking up HELLP and obstetric cholestasis on the internet (I know, I know, you shouldn't do it!), both are fairly :eek: and I'm not sure which I would have preferred (which sounds stupid as obviously I would prefer neither!!). The midwife also thought that regardless of what it was, that it was something unconnected to Tom's foetal distress and that was just a coincidence caused by the cord being wrapped around his neck - I'm not sure if the infected placenta could have been caused by these conditions but the fact that the placenta wasn't working properly is probably why he was only small. (And the fact that he was small has given him more room for manouvre while inside me hence the moving from transverse to breech etc and being able to get wrapped up in cord)

Anyway, hopefully by next week everything will be back to normal.

And on a very pleasant note (and pandapaws will be interested to read this) SPD appears to clear up instantly upon the birth of the baby. I can proudly claim that I can put on underwear while standing on one leg without the slightest twinge of pain!!

hypno06

chocolate and red wine........must be good for you in times like this.....:D

Sea78

Oh my goodness!! Honey!! How very scary yet again...I've heard about HELLP - but unfortunately from those in a different situation to yours. Big big and even bigger hugs!

Any chance of a wee photo of the gorgeous one?:)

And just say the word if you want the tiny clothes

Sea xxxx

Sea78

ooh yes - lots of lovely chocolate - doesn't plain chocolate have goo dthings in it?

sea xxx

chocaholic110

hypno06 wrote: »

chocolate and red wine........must be good for you in times like this.....:D

Lol, not sure red wine recommended for breastfeeding...at least they never mentioned it in the hospital!!

Seaxwyn

Oh my goodness!!!!!

Congratulations on the birth of baby Tom. What a terrible shock it all must have been, and thank goodness he is safe and well. I hope your symptoms clear up and you make a good recovery. I am sure anaemia is common after a difficult birth. I had anaemia and low blood pressure after the birth of my twins but was soon back to normal.

Hope you have a lovely time getting to know each other and no further shocks.

chocaholic110

Sea78 wrote: »

Oh my goodness!! Honey!! How very scary yet again...I've heard about HELLP - but unfortunately from those in a different situation to yours. Big big and even bigger hugs!

Any chance of a wee photo of the gorgeous one?:)

And just say the word if you want the tiny clothes

Sea xxxx

Hoping to add a photo tomorrow. Looking through the photos on the camera today he seems to have gained weight around his face just in five days so he probably won't stay small for long.

And on the clothes, yes, as long as I can send you payment for them... or if you absolutely won't accept that (though I can't see why you wouldn't, you're doing me the favour!!)and ignore me again, how about a little something for Sophia and William instead??

Seaxwyn

My midwife recommended red wine and - especially - Guinness.

spud30

chocaholic110 wrote: »

Lol, not sure red wine recommended for breastfeeding...at least they never mentioned it in the hospital!!

You can have extra chocolate then hun - after all, you've got the right name