My husband Nathan and I started trying for our first baby in 2001. After 6 months and a lot of questions from me, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
I had a laparoscopy (surgical investigation) not long after to have a look inside. Before the surgery I was told there was a risk my bowel could be nicked, but it’s normally a 1:5000 chance. Well, there are 4999 happy women out there as that one turned out to be me. Nathan started to worry when a 45 minute procedure was still going 3 hours later. He was met by a nurse and she asked him to go to the chapel and the doctor would be out to see him.
He was told what happened and that I was being sent to a bigger hospital in case there were further complications. I was in hospital for a week and off work for a month. I had a cut from my belly button down to my pubic area and it took 2 months to recover.
We then had an appointment with my gynaecologist who told me the most devastating thing of my life. When I was 16 my appendix had burst (misdiagnosed). The scar tissue had grown through my reproductive system and crushed my tubes. He said that later in life I would have to have an operation to remove the mess in there. The next thing he said I was not prepared for. I would never conceive naturally and our only option was IVF so I was given a referral to a fertility specialist.
My first appointment was overwhelming. We were told that with PCOS the miscarriage rate increases. Because of my age it was suggested we transfer two embryos each cycle, and that we shouldn’t have a problem falling pregnant. Through 2004 and 2005 we attempted several fresh and frozen IVF transfers and had one early miscarriage.
Maxx was ventilated for 6 weeks and we were called in twice to say good bye.
In November 2005 I conceived again. On 27 January 2006 when I was 14 weeks and five days pregnant, our world fell apart when my waters broke for no reason. I delivered Chloe at 16 weeks and two days. My Beautiful Angel. This was one of the most devastating things that has ever happened to us. The last time I saw her was an ultrasound of her hiccupping and is a memory I will hold onto for the rest of my life. There is no known reason for what happened. I had 16 vials of blood taken over two weeks and the only thing they found was a blood clotting disease. Ironic given that my doctor wanted me on blood thinners from eight weeks but my fertility specialist said no.
After more failed cycles and a year off, we switched fertility specialists. She was fantastic and we felt comfortable with her. We ended up with 2 healthy embryos and transfer was carried out. Several days later, I was sitting at work waiting for the call from my nurse, a box of tissues in front of me, my heart pounding and then those words - Congratulations Sharon you’re pregnant!!
I had bleeds three times before 12 weeks, but there was no obvious cause. My 12 week scan was perfect, bub was there kicking back as much as they poked it. My obstetrician did a scan at 14 weeks to check my cervix length and all was good.
At 17 weeks I noticed some throbbing down below but thought I would wait till my next app at 18 weeks. I mentioned it to my obstetrician and he checked my cervix. I will never forget those words – “Darl your membranes are bulging. I am ringing the hospital to do a stitch”. I was taken to the nearest Hospital and sat for hours in the Emergency waiting room until Nathan phoned our obstetrician and told him.
The next thing I knew someone came in with a wheel chair and I was taken into the emergency section and placed on a bed for two hours. I was then moved to day surgery for another few hours with my feet elevated. After another five hours the obstetric surgeon finally examined me and said “nope sorry, you’re leaking. There is nothing I can do, drop her bed and I will speak to her obstetrician tomorrow to work out the plan”.
Devastation wasn’t the word for it. They gave us the only spare bed they had and that was in the cardiac ward in our own room to “start the grieving process”. They gave me something to knock me out and Nathan just sat in the chair next to me, staring out window. In the morning nothing had happened so Nathan phoned our obstetrician. He was peeved as no one had contacted him with the news. He told us to discharge ourselves and go to The Royal Women’s Hospital. The nurses on the cardiac ward told us we were doing the right thing (off record), as did the unit manager.
We arrived at the RW where I was taken in, elevated and poked. I was 3cm dilated. One of the obstetricians said they would take me in to do a stitch but because I was so dilated (4cm being the cut off) with waters bulging, there was a 50% chance of failure. I was so scared I couldn’t stop shaking and I asked to be sedated. Had I felt my waters pop it would have sent me over the edge. They managed to get the membranes back in and a stitch in place.
The seven weeks of bed rest started. I spent one and half weeks at the RW, then transferred to Frankston as the pregnancy wasn’t classified as “viable”. I was told almost every day that it wouldn’t last and infection would eventually come on. I had scans twice a week and my amniotic fluid levels were dropping. By 22 weeks there was nothing left and I was told labour would probably start. Much to their surprise, I reached 24 weeks and my pregnancy became “viable”! It was time to move to a hospital with a NICU so I ended up at Monash Medical Centre Clayton.
At 24 weeks and 6 days I had a lot of pain. The bottom of my tummy felt heavy and hard so I asked for pain relief. At 1am I woke with a stinging pain but pushed through it with drugs. At 3am I called for a nurse who felt for contractions but couldn't feel anything. They gave me a sleeping tablet as I hadn’t slept for 3 nights due to one of my room mates snoring non stop. I Woke at 8am for breakfast and all pain was gone which I thought was strange.
After a visit from a doctor, I got up to go to the toilet when I felt something between my legs. It was the cord hanging out! I called for a nurse and next thing I knew a major code was going off. The Nurses and the doctor came running in, told me to go on all fours and the doctor shoved his hand inside me to push the cord back up. I was rushed to surgery with the doctor telling me it will be ok and that he could still feel the pulse in the cord. I could see doctors and nurses coming from everywhere as they had to have a team for me and the NICU doctors for Maxx. I was flipped onto the bed and less than a minute later I was unconscious.
Maxx was out in less than 3 minutes and took his own first breath. They have less than 10 minutes to get a baby out to survive when this happens. The doctor told me later that these are rare. Nathan wasn't there yet and didn’t know anything had happened. The next thing I remember is waking up and Nathan saying “We have a son”. The rest of the day was a blur. I had a T cut which means they had to cut me from my belly button to my pubic area inside due to the scar tissue plus from one side of my tummy to the other on the outside.
Maxx Cooper was born at 10.07am, Sunday 24 August via emergency C-section at 25 weeks due to a cord prolapse and he is the love of our lives. He was 845g, 32cm long and every day we were told how big he was for his gestation. For the first couple of days I was asked if my due dates were right. As he was IVF conceived, yes the dates were right.
Maxx was ventilated for 6 weeks and we were called in twice to say good bye. He had collapsed lungs, pneumonia, ten infections and influenza. All the NICU doctors and nurses were worth their weight in gold and commented nearly every day on how active he was. As the weeks moved on, he developed and grew. We were told he would have to go home on oxygen and probably stay on it for nearly two years as his lungs were so scarred and damaged. After 153 days being in hospital he finally came home.
He is now nearly 10 months old or 6 ½ months corrected, weighing over 10kg. He is just the perfect baby. He has none of the problems premature babies usually have. His eyes, hearing, heart etc. are perfect and he even managed not to get the premature head shape. As from the 16 June, not even 10 months later, he has been taken off oxygen for good and now breathes by himself.
My life has changed forever in so many ways. Most of it came from laying on my back for 7 weeks with only toilet privileges. I didn't think I would have it in me but I guess when you're fighting for a life you will do ANYTHING! This little person makes everything we have been through so worth the years of trying.
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