"I thought we’d never bring Ella home"
When Sarah Smith, 31, suffered serious pregnancy complications, her baby had to be delivered early to save both of their lives...
Going home from hospital
without my daughter, Ella - now 11 months - just a few days after
she was born was surreal. I'd suffered a placental abruption, a
condition in which the placenta separates from the lining of the
womb, depriving the
baby of oxygen and causing severe
bleeding to both mother and baby. Because of this, Ella was
delivered by emergency Caesarean ten weeks early and had to stay in
special care. My husband, Adam, 36, and I drove home in silence.
When we got there I went to the nursery. It felt wrong being there
without a bump or a baby. I cried my heart out.
We'd been parents for three days and hadn't even touched
our little girl, we'd only looked at her through the sides of
her incubator.
I found out I was expecting Ella in August 2008, just two months
after we'd got married. We were really excited about having a
baby; it was a dream. However, at 26 weeks I started bleeding and
having contractions. I was panic-stricken, I knew something must be
seriously wrong.
I went straight to New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton, and Adam met
me there. We waited in an emergency delivery room while I was given
steroids to mature the baby's lungs but thankfully, the
contractions stopped. The next day I was discharged and put on bed
rest for three weeks. But just days after resting I had another
bleed and was rushed to hospital.
There we were told the baby had to be delivered immediately to save
both of our lives. Adam and some nurses pushed my hospital bed to
the operating theatre as we didn't have time to wait for a
porter. I was given general anaesthetic and Ella was born via
Caesarean on 8 February 2009 weighing 3lb 10oz.
It was two hours before I came round afterwards and another 15
before I saw Ella for the first time. Nurses told us we could only
have minimal contact with her because of infection risk. But I
didn't want to touch her anyway, she was so small I was scared
I'd hurt her.
When she was three days old I was allowed home from hospital. After
that we spent as much time as we could with Ella. It was difficult
getting my head around the fact she was here and she was ours.
At five days, I held her for the first time. She was only allowed
out of the incubator for five minutes but it was wonderful to feel
her skin against mine.
Thankfully, Ella was strong and at five weeks old, on 13 March
2009, we brought her home. We were overjoyed, finally we put out
all the cards and presents we'd received. We wanted to give her
a big welcome.
After initially finding it hard to believe we had Ella, I now
can't imagine life without her. Just looking at her, even for a
brief second, makes me smile.
After she was first born we weren't sure we'd have more
children, but we've now agreed we'll try again in
a
few years. We're hoping things will be different next time but,
even if there are complications, we have Ella to remind us to never
give up hope.
Post Your Comment
You must be logged in to submit a comment.
If you are not yet a Candis member and want to find out more about the benefits of joining Candis Magazine...
We're confident that our travel insurance will provide you with peace of mind, allowing you the freedom to sit back, relax and get the most out of your holiday. Whether you're off on a short break or venturing further afield, our policies will keep you covered. Save up to £22.58 with Candis Travel Insurance More
Keep up to date with the latest news, offers and exclusive competitions available to E-news subscribers. Sign Up
Candis Club has donated over £53 million to health charities and community groups over the years. To find our more about the work done... More
Comments:
There are currently no comments for this article, be the first by using the box below.