Welcome to Baby Lewis!

Baby Lewis was born 8 weeks prematurely on the 11th February 2008 at 2:40am by emergency c-section.

Here is the story:

Saturday 9th Feb - About lunchtime I had a really strong contraction followed by a little bleeding. Called the hospital and they weren't concerned thinking it was just some Braxton Hicks. I went out and did a huge shop and then when I got home I noticed that my tummy was looking quite low down. A few hours later I had a show - mucus came away from the cervix and so called the hospital who asked me to go in. I was monitored for about two hours as they realised I was in labour however it eventually stopped and I was moved to a ward to get some sleep.

Sunday 10th Feb - At 2am, about an hour after getting to the ward, I felt wet and went to the loo where I thought my waters had broke. Told the nurse who confirmed it and I was promptly moved back to the delivery room and had to call Ian into the hospital.

By the time Ian got back to the hospital, I was on a drip getting some drugs to relax my womb and stop labour from progressing. I was given an injection of steriods (which really bloody hurt) to help mature the baby's lungs as he was only 32 weeks. The relaxant and steriods worked for the next 24 hours.

Monday 11th Feb - I settled down to sleep at about midnight (sunday into Monday) after having a little chat with my midwife, Heleen. She told me that she would be giving me more steriods to help my baby's lungs mature at 3am. I was dreading this injection as it hurt so much the night before but I knew that my baby needed it. At 1:30am I started to feel period like cramps and called on Hellen who put me on the monitoring machine which confirmed I was having contractions every few minutes. The doctor came to check me out and said that he wanted to c-section me immediately and I had to call Ian back into the hospital.

Everything then moved really quickly and I am a bit hazy on the details but I'll try. I was given a few injections of various things and a suppositry before being run down to theatre. There I was given anaesthetic into my spine to numb my back and then I was given a spinal block. I was laid down on the operating table where my blood pressure dropped dangerously low and I was given three rounds of drugs to bring me round. I was struggling to breath and felt like I was dying. Once the drugs kicked in, I wanted to puke but couldn't as the spinal block had paralysed my tummy so I just spit up a wee bit of gunk. Within 10 minutes I was open and Lewis was brought out at 2:40am. I didn't get to see him as he was rushed to an incubator to keep him warm. In the meantime Ian stayed with Lewis whilst I was stitched up. During the stitching Lewis was brought to me for a split second so I could give him a kiss and then he was whipped off to the special care baby unit (SCBU).

About 45 minutes later I was taken to the SCBU all stitched up and a bit groggy so that I could see my son. He was so tiny and inside an incubator which broke my heart. I was moved back to the delivery room where Ian and I tried to get some sleep.

So as you can see it was a bit of a traumatic birth for both Lewis and myself but he is here now and getting stronger every day. He is now out of his incubator, breathing on his own, regulating his temperature and keeping his feeds down. He isn't feeding by the bottle or the breast fully yet so I am expressing my milk which he is then given through a feeding tube. For a bay who was 8 weeks early, he is slightly bigger than normal and I have my diabetes to thank for that. It has given him a better start in life luckily. The docs have said that if I went full term, Lewis would have been about 10lbs!!! As it was he was 5lb 2oz (2.340kg) so he is quite small.

Here are some photographs of him with Ian and me too - http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/7662610.

For a bay who was 8 weeks early, he is slightly bigger than normal and I have my diabetes to thank for that. It has given him a better start in life luckily.

Everything happens for a reason eh? I am so pleased he was delivered to you both safe and sound, it sounds dramatic, but he is here now and just perfect and that's all that matters!! Congratulations to you both!!! HE is so gorgeous and brought a lump to my throat, can't wait to do it all again now!!!!

Congrats again Ally, see diabetes has its positives! Keep us posted with his progress xx

What a story. How are you feeling now?

Welcome to the world Lewis!!

Congratulations to both you and Ian and welcome to the world baby Lewis, he looks so cute and a good size for being so early as Sally said, Everything happens for a reason.
Hope he's strong enough to come home soon :D xxx

Congrats Ally.

Welcome little Lewis xxx

Awwwwwwww x he is an absolute stunner, look at his hair, gorgeous x

Welcome to the world Lewis x

CONGRATULATIONS ALLY & IAN x

Loads of love and blue nappy pins ... Mands xxx