Getting Maxi - Part One The Journey

MadDad and I had been married nearly 10 years before Maxi came along and how he came to be is a story in itself.  He will be 5 on 16 March 2008 and I want to tell you all a little more.

I used to suffer with painful periods from being quite young and had undergone laparoscopy before I was even 16 and diagnosed wit Endometriosis, so I always knew that falling pregnant might be harder for me.  With this in mind MadDad and I never really used contraception once we were married.

3 years in to our marriage I fell pregnant, I had terrible morning sickness and was told that this could be a sign of twins and when we had the first scan we were overjoyed at the news that I was carrying twins.  We didn't tell anyone in the family yet though, we wanted to do it in person and as we lived in Berkshire and they all lived in North Yorkshire, we needed to plan a weekend to visit.

I was still suffering with serve morning sickness and so it was decided that I needed to go into hospital to be re hydrated and put on a drip.  An additional scan was also ordered as my blood tests were not as they should be.  Unfortunately the scan showed that the baby's no longer had a heartbeat. MadDad and I were beside ourselves. MadDad had the really hard phone call to tell my parents that I had been expecting twins and now I wasn't an was seriously ill in hospital. I had to undergo emergency surgery due to issues with my liver and woke to fin MadDad and my parents by my side.

I fell pregnant again shortly after losing the twins and this time was even sicker than the last time, but we put this down to the fact that is might possibly be twins again.  I was in and out of hospital being re hydrated for the first 6 weeks of the pregnancy and then I had a scan.  Well the sonographer went deathly pale and stuttered that she needed to get a colleague.  Me an MadDad knew that something must be terribly wrong.

Th sonographer returned with her colleague and they went on to explain that the pregnancy was not viable and that the consultant would meet me back at the ward and explain why.  Good to her word she was sat on my bed and explained t MadDad and I that I had hydatidiform mole, also know as a molar pregnancy and again I need to be operated on to remove the "product".  She also went on to explain that I would have to have monthly blood and urine tests for up to 2 years to ensure that the product was not growing anywhere else within my body.

Again MadDad made the calls and I woke to find my parents at my bedside, but his time I felt terrible.  I was still vomiting and generally felt very under the weather.  I finally went home and had to have the full two years of testing as my levels did not stabilise early enough.

By this time MadDad and I resigned ourselves to remaining a couple, nine years had passed since our marriage and we decided to move to a new house.  We got a rather large mortgage and concentrated on our careers and on having fun.

One day I started to feel really sick, in fact I couldn't stop vomiting.  This went on for a week and in the end I made an appointment with my GP, who prescribed me some anti-nausea tablets, but also insisted I do a pregnancy test before taking them.  Well you could have knocked me an MadDad down with a feather when we realised I was actually pregnant, especially as I hadn't had any periods for 6 months due to the Endometriosis.

Due to my past history I was offered an early scan, which we took up and I found out I was 14 weeks pregnant.  We were overjoyed, but the sickness didn't stop.  It kept getting worse and it seemed as though I was permanently in the hospital.  In the end the consultant suggested that MadDad give me anti-emetic injections 3 times a day.  So he did.  it didn't stop the sickness, but it reduced it to a manageable 3 or 4 times a day.

But I then started to get serve pains in my tummy, which we put down to indigestion, soon the pain was so serve I was fainting from it and then I got a yellow tinge.  It was discovered that I was having issues with my gall bladder and I needed to have it removed for my safety and the safety of my unborn child.

It was at this point that we decided to tell my family and colleagues at work and at 20 weeks pregnant I was operated on and my gall bladder removed.  It really did ease the pain, but unfortunately it didn't stop the sickness.

I managed to keep maxi safe inside until I was 36 weeks pregnant when all my bloods went very squiffy, so it was decided that I was to be admitted to the hospital.  I was supposed to go on to an antenatal ward, but it was very quickly decided that I would be on the delivery ward, where I had round the clock care. MadDad and I were allocated a suit with a double bed and my mum came to Berkshire to stay and for the next two weeks, I walked round and round the delivery suite and had very little sleep, lots of vomit and tears and loads of hugs fro MadDad and my mum.

I was also given steroids to ensure Maxi's lungs would be OK and it was decided that I was to be induced at 38 weeks,  I have never been so excited to get the go ahead for the induction....

More to follow