A Guiding Hand for Families in Special Care Nurseries - Digital - Book - Page 67
At home
Parent Story:
Rachel and Hunter
“
From about 25 weeks, bubs started to slow down in growth but the
doctors weren’t too worried. I had fortnightly scans just to make sure
everything was going well as I was also in the high risk group at the
Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne but that was because of my
history of Congenital Heart problems.
At 35 weeks, I woke up with pains. I just thought they were Braxton
Hicks so I went shopping with my sister. We were having lunch and I
was getting the pain every 5 minutes and lasting about a minute. I
called the hospital, they called me in and put me on the CGT monitor,
took my blood pressure and did a urine test. Ten minutes later I was
being transferred to the Royal Women’s Hospital and the mid-wife
came with me!
RWH ran some tests, tried to stop the contractions
and administered steroids for the baby. Hunter was
in the breech position and had Intrauterine Growth
Restriction (IUGR). My blood pressure was high – I had
pre-eclampsia, but had had no warning signs at all!
They managed to hold off labour for two days, but on
the 2 March 2006 at 5:45am, I got an almighty kick in
the stomach and my waters broke, so I was rushed up to theatre for
an emergency C-Section. Hunter Rey was born at 6:35am (no one
even made it to the hospital in time) and weighed 1705g and had an
APGAR score of 8 and 9. He breathed on his own straight away and
was taken up to the Special Care Nursery.
Hunter was transferred to a hospital to be closer to home. He was in
an open cot within a couple of days. He did really well and came home
on the 3 April 2006 – his due date, and weighed 2330g.
Hunter is now 4.5 years old and still a tiny little boy at 13kgs but is
slowly catching up to other kids his age. He has some sensory issues,
language/speech delays, social and behaviour issues but hasn’t had
any other health issues. He is growing into a lovely young boy!
Life’s Little Treasures Foundation | Supporting Families of Premature & Sick Babies
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