Pregnancy Journey

So it’s the most amazing time of your life you have just found out your pregnant, but now come the funny looks because your over weight.

Now I’m not saying they all give you weird looks or smart comments but there is some and when it happens it hurts.

So I was straight away classed as high risk due to my weight and I was ok with that as I knew the doctors were going to work with me to make sure I had a healthy pregnancy.

At the start I had the dreaded morning sickness. I was about 6/7 weeks gone when I found out I was pregnant. I took around 4 pregnancy tests before I even believed I could be! As I was told it would be very hard for me to get pregnant due to my weight and PCOS. I will never forget going to the doctors to get it confirmed it was my dad’s birthday. When the doctor told me I was pregnant I was like are you sure do you want to just check again.

The following week I had the fright of my life I began to bleed so I rushed to my GP. He then sent me straight to the coombe to be scanned. It was the longest wait of my life in that small area outside the emergency room as loads of pregnant women walked by all I could think of is what if.

Finally I got called in and scanned and there was the tiniest little heart beat on the screen. Now I did keep loosing it (like Rachel from friends) but the relief was amazing.

The next few weeks was a whirlwind of emotions as it sunk in I’m actually pregnant!

I couldn’t believe the day I went for my 12 week scan he actually look like a little human! You could see everything. I then got my next date for my next scan at 22 weeks.

I waited until Easter to announce my pregnancy even though everyone already new.

I won’t bore you with the shopping and browsing details so let’s forward on to 22 weeks this is when things started to get rocky physically and mentally.

So I went for my next scan and she couldn’t get any good pictures so started making comments about my weight well my heart sunk. She turned a special moment into the worst.

I was in with my consultant the following week prof. Fitzpatrick what a lovely man. He wasn’t happy with the scan so ordered it to be redone as well as been scanned every three weeks until I gave birth, to make sure the baby was growing correctly. He also got me referred to physio as I was showing signs of pelvic girdle pain and SPD . I also had to have some more diabetes checks but thank goodness they all came back normal.

The next scan came again and great I got the same old hag again. She was not happy to see me as I was hard to scan due to my weight. She also made snide remarks about the consultant making all these appointments for the scans that the HSE hasn’t got funds for this and if it was the NHS id get a maximum of two. Like who makes a pregnant woman feel so crap! So I left and asked the receptionist could she please change me to the coombe for my scans, I felt so shit.

After having another shit scan I was looking forward to my antenatal classes. I choose a different approach to the normal ones. I went with Hypnobirthing. I found a lovely woman called Kathy in Johnstown Co.Kildare. She was so welcoming from the minute I stepped inside her door. She was a great support through my whole pregnancy and really relaxed me and made the while experience enjoyable. I definetly recommend her to everyone. It was a lot of relaxation techniques and meditation.

The next scan finally came and this was up in the Coombe on the big screens. It is amazing up there all the staff are so incredible! The scan was going really well until the lady said hold on I need to get my coleage I can’t get a good picture… I was keeping came while waiting for them to come back in as it felt like forever. Then another lady entered the room and began to scan me.

She stopped scanning and said she needed to refer me as they couldn’t get a good picture of his heart. She said it was nothing to worry about just standard procedure. I left the room feeling numb as I went to the check in desk to make an appointment with the specialist. I got one for next week.

I couldn’t help but Google every moment about baby’s hearts as I was so worried but pretending to everyone I was fine. It was the longest 10 days wait ever.

The day I arrived I went up and sat outside the specialists room just waiting to be called. Seen mothers been wheeled by on trolleys with there new born babies. The door opened to the room and I gasped as a couple emerged , the woman was clearly distraught and ushered quickly into a vacant room as she whaled with cries clutching her scan pictures. ( I still think of her sometimes is she ok now and did the baby make it ).

I was finally called and met by a lovely consultant. He scanned the heart very closely and didn’t see any major abnorrmalities thank god. He said everything looked fine and they would listen for a murmur when he was born.

So the next battle I had to deal with was the pelvic girdle pain and SPD. It’s the most excruciating pain you will ever go through anyone that has ever had it will know what I mean and no it’s not just normal pregnancy pains. I couldn’t even get in and out of the shower without help because my legs and hips hurt so bad. They would just go from underneath me which was quiet dangerous while pregnant. So I went to physio got the support bandages and done there exercises but did it help no.

So after more scans and tests and keeping a close eye on me it was week 33 of my pregnancy. I had just finished work as I was taking a months holidays before I started my maternity leave. I had an appointment with my consultant. I was asking him about the possibility of going early that I felt like I was going to and he laughed and just told me not to worry. It was highly unlikely….

So then came the weekend, I decided to finally finish my hospital bag have everything done and dusted with it just incase. That night my waters brokes. I was in that much of a shock I just started to laugh, I couldn’t believe this was happening. Dean was more panicked than me.

We got to the hospital and I checked in. They had to examine me to make sure my waters broke and I didn’t just wet my self. Like come on you can’t mistake your waters breaking. When the doctor confirmed it they admitted me as I wasn’t in labour but it would be too dangerous to send me home incase of infection.

So began my stay in hospital…

I got my steroid injections to help with his lungs straight away and I was also getting injections for blood clots. I met with the consultant the next day. He told me I would have to stay in till 37 weeks as the baby would have a better chance if he came then. So I prepared myself mentally for my next few weeks stay.

Every 4 hours I was prodded and poked at with needles and also getting traces done of his heart. I also ended up on crutches due to the pelvic girldle pain and SPD. I had to be giving splints for the carpil tunnel in my hands.

It turned out then that I had caught an infection so I had to be giving antibiotics to see would it go away and also my waters kept leaking so it ment more scans to monitor the fluid.

They were so good to me on monicas ward they got me a special bed and chair to help me feel comfortable. And the midwifes became like friends answering any questions I had. They are honestly not appreciated enough for what they do.

When wendasy came that is the begging of my birth story which I think I will keep for another day as to me it’s a long one.

Everyone’s pregnancy is so different and what they go through physically and mentally is different as no one person is the same. So if you know anyone that is expecting and they are going through something that was simple for you during pregnancy but it’s traumatic for them, please listen to them and don’t just brush it off as another pregnancy symptom.

Joanne x