Lori Sankey story

PPROM Suspected at 32 weeks 2 days, Caleb born at 33 weeks 4 day

Born in the UK in April 2015

My story begins when I was up visiting my sister in Haydock, 200 miles away from the hospital I planned to have my baby at. We went for a walk and I was feeling pressure all day in my lower tummy but thought nothing of it as I was only 32w2d, and as I'm a bigger lady I just thought it was from all the walking, so later that night I was in for a shock, I was just relaxing and suddenly I felt something pop and loads of water gushed out of me. I tried stopping the flow thinking I had just wet myself but I couldn't so my sister said it was my waters, we called her local hospital (Whiston) and they advised to put a pad on and call them back in an hour if I was still leaking, I was so they asked me to come in, I was examined and given steroid shots, 1 when I got there and the 2nd after 12 hours when I was up on the ward, I was also on antibiotics, I had various scans and traces that all seemed to be fine apart from my waters were very low as I kept leaking. I was informed I would be induced at 34 weeks if baby hadn't come naturally by then, but being so far away from home I got really scared and was worried about my baby and what would happen, so after being on bed rest for nearly 7 days and all scans and traces still showing everything was fine, I asked the consultant if I could leave to drive home to my hospital, she agreed on the condition I stayed that night at my sisters and drove home the next day to admit myself to my local hospital (Winchester) so everything seemed fine and I drove home, I was only home an hour and I started getting funny cramps, being a first time mum I didn't quite understand what they were so I rang my sister and she said it sounded like I was going into labour, so I rang Winchester labour line and explained what was happening and they said they had been told by Whiston, so they wanted me to come in. By the time I got there I was 2cm dilated and I've never been so scared, I didn't know what would happen, if everything was going to be ok or anything, contractions kept getting stronger and I was on gas and air, then the doctor came in and said they haven't got any neonatal beds available so I would need to be transferred and they were trying to sort it out. So I found myself in full labour in an ambulance being blue lighted to Salisbury hospital, and I can honestly say it was the worst journey of my life, I was holding on while having contractions as they shot around corners to get me there on time, once I got to Salisbury I had such a lovely midwife who calmed me and explained a few things, my contractions were coming back to back and I got not let up so I was given diamorphine but that didn't help either, after 15hours of active labour my little man came into the world, I gave it my all pushing and only got to 8cm but that was enough for him to come out at 4.47am I managed to have a little cuddle for a few minutes but he had to be whisked away because he started grunting, the midwife sorted me out then when I was ready I walked up to NICU, and I remember wondering what my son was going to look like and if he was ok, when I got to his incubator, I looked at him but I didn't feel anything, I didn't think he was mine, I was so confused, they say when you have a baby you feel instant love but I was wondering where that feeling was for me, so after 20 minutes of just looking at him I left, went back to my room, slept then went back up a bit later, the nurse told me I could touch him and showed me how and from that moment I felt so much love and didn't want to ever leave him. He was on CPAP, and antibiotics as he has slight sepsis in his right lung, he was jaundiced. He was having X-rays while I was there and the nurses were explaining things to me but I didn't really take it all in. I was asked later that evening if I wanted to hold him but I said no because of his machines and I was scared I would hold him wrong and it would hurt him. But the next day I was ready for cuddles and it was wonderful, he was doing so well. From then on I would cuddle and touch him and talk to him as much as I could, I was discharged but I drove down everyday to be with him, after a week he was in an open cot and off everything, he did have a little relapse so had to go under the UV lights again but that wasn't a problem, I would read his notes to see how he was doing, I was pumping for him but not getting enough so they supplemented with formula but it all got a bit to much and I had a little meltdown and lost my supply completely so we went to bottle and formula, he thrived and I roomed in with him for a couple of nights then they said he could come home. So after 2 weeks of being in NICU I got to bring my gorgeous little man home, he was still jaundiced but I was told to keep him in natural light. Now he's a happy healthy just turned 1 year old, he started at 5lb4oz and now he's 23lb2oz and 80cm tall. He truly is my little miracle.