Hey Lea, although I've heard alot about Sids, I haven't checked out the forum, but I will.

Can I also put a plug out for a group that is dear to my heart?   Possibly some of the other members may not only be aware of the group, but have had firsthand experience themselves of Pre-eclampsia, Eclampsia and/or HELLP Syndrome?

- - - AAPEC (Australian Action on Pre-eclampsia) - - -

Australian Action on Pre-eclampsia Inc. (AAPEC) is an association incorporated in Victoria, with members across Australia. It is a voluntary organisation set up to provide support and information to families who have suffered from pre-eclampsia.

Pre eclampsia is an illness that occurs during pregnancy and in the time just after the baby is born.  It affects both the mother and the unborn baby.  The cause of pre-eclampsia is not clear.  It can develop very quickly and is characterised by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine.

While swelling, weight gain and headaches can be present in any pregnancy, they can also be warning signs that you have pre-eclampsia, especially if the symptoms develop suddenly.  You can also develop preeclampsia without experiencing any symptoms at all.

One in ten pregnancies will be affected by pre-eclampsia.  It usually occurs in the second half of the pregnancy and can sometimes develop in the days after the baby is born.  It is more common in first pregnancies.

 It is important that the mother never misses an antenatal appointment because these checkups can pick up early signs of pre-eclampsia.   Of course, any concerns should be raised immediately with the mother’s doctor/hospital to be sure.

It is only through financial support that AAPEC can educate Australian women about the dangers, signs and symptoms of Pre-eclampsia.   Anyone interested can help by joining the association, making a donation or for further information, visiting the website:  www.aapec.org.au   

My story:

My pregnancy with Makayla was great (not that I could compare it to anything else).   However, the events after that were anything but.  

My hind waters broke early and because there were no contractions, the hospital sent me home with antibiotics to wait for contractions.  When I returned a day later anxious that nothing was happening, the hospital decided to induce me and labour went for 30 hours, and despite my best efforts, Makayla decided to face the wrong way and refused to come out any other way other than by Caesararean.  

I wasn’t anxious about the Caesar (after the drawn out labour, I just wanted the baby out!).  Unfortunately, there were problems with the first two epidurals put in, so I was given a third before it took effect.

The operation went well and was over quite quickly (Welcome to the world Makayla weighing in at 8.1). 

Unfortunately a day or so later, I experienced terrible headaches that wouldn’t ease unless I was lying down (which wasn’t possibly all the time, because my new baby had to be changed, bathed, attended to etc).       

Four days later (with the headaches still going), I collapsed and had a number of seizures.  I don’t remember it now but I was quickly transported without my newborn baby to Hospital # 2’s A&E Dept for further investigation.    (Note: if you’re going to be unwell, the hospital is a good place to do it – we hate to think what would have happened if I was home alone with a newborn baby – by myself).

The  A&E Dept doctors said that I didn’t present with the usual pre-eclamptic signs (protein in the urine, high blood pressure etc) so the doctors weren’t sure what was wrong with me.  They decided to admit me and later admitted Makayla so that we could be together.

While they tried to work out what had caused the seizures, they decided to do a blood patch to ease the headaches (where they took blood from my hip/behind and injected it into the holes in my back) caused by the epidurals.   Admittedly, this did the trick, however, only a short time later, my body decided it had had enough and I had a stroke.    

I remember losing the feeling down my right arm but don’t remember much more after that.  I’ve seen a couple of photos that were taken of me at the time and I look a bit a bit like a zombie.  (Note for husband, next time, please at least brush my hair and wash my face a little!).

Unfortunately before they could be told of my latest situation, my parents and brother had literally flown in from overseas to see me and meet their new granddaughter.    Needless to say, they were a little shocked to hear that I had had a stroke and wasn’t in a fit state.

My poor husband had been told by the hospital to be prepared that I might die within the next couple of days that followed   Worse than that, he had a week old baby that he had to quickly foster out to an aunty and uncle to look after while he sat by my bedside, waiting to see if I would improve.

Which, of course, I did (I had nothing better to do).

At the time it was hard being separated from Makayla, especially so soon after her birth, but I’m sure any new mum would much prefer they be the one to be sick, than their child - if they had the choice.  

In the days that followed the stroke, I was given all the tests (tests including CT  and MRI scans).  In the end they agreed that I had an unusual case of Eclampsia.

Added to that, I now had various cognitive, speech, and mobility issues so I was transferred to hospital #3 for rehabilitation.   Thankfully Makayla was admitted with me so again, we could be together. 

Thanks to the hospital and community rehabilitation centres, and my newborn baby that needed me to get well super quick, (and my youth), I was able to regain most of my pre-stroke functions quite quickly and within a few weeks we were discharged home for in-home rehabilitation.   I love hospital food but nothing beats sleeping in your own bed and being surrounded by your own junk!

It wasn’t until months later that we found out that Pre-eclampsia can put a baby at risk of extreme prematurity (if not worse) and thankfully, my problems occurred after Makayla was safely out of me.    So despite everything, we thought we were very lucky parents to have a beautiful and healthy baby girl.  Not fanatically religious but we thought ‘what a blessing’ and so we named her Makayla, the feminine version of Michael, meaning ‘gift from God’.

So, 18 months down the track and I think I am doing ok.   I just got my driver’s licence back late last year, so to a degree, I’ve also regained alot of my independence.  Most days I think I’m a half decent mum (Makayla might disagree) and my husband said my mental clarity has improved and I can now hold as good an argument as I could pre sickness.

Late last year, when we decided to try for baby no. 2 we were worried about Pre-eclampsia but specialists had told me I was in great shape and at no greater risk than any other woman of experiencing Pre eclampsia, Eclampsia, or further strokes.

So, needless to say, having to terminate our second pregnancy in January because of Anencephaly was not something we had anticipated, and after all we had been through with Makayla’s birth, it seemed completely unfair.

But, back to my point about AAPEC, I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that that I only found AAPEC’s support group and website (as with AS_AP)  after what I had been through with Makayla’s birth.   Possibly, if I had identified the Pre eclampsia signs earlier, I could have saved myself and my family, some grief.   

I don’t mean this to sound like a ‘preaching’ and I certainly don’t want to scare any of the many expecting mums within your forum but if one person reads it and it raises the awareness of pre-eclampsia, then I think my story is worth sharing.

Cheers,

Donna