Cecilia was due on 29th Jan 2024 and we had a very low risk pregnancy throughout. Following three sweeps and no progress I was booked in for an induction for the 7th February 2024. Contractions started the evening before and we went to the hospital in the early hours of the morning. We were waiting for a labour room to be available for my waters to be broken. At 3pm the next day my waters were broken and there was meconium in the water.
We discussed the option of a C-section with the registrar and that I wanted to avoid going on a hormone drip. Cecilia’s heart rate was monitored throughout. They explained that due to the meconium the paediatric team would be in the room for delivery. At 8pm I was still only 3cm dilated, but I had strong and consistent contractions. At midnight we requested a C-section as we didn’t want the hormone drip and I had not slept in nearly 3 days.
We weren’t able to have the C-section until 3am. Once Cecilia had been delivered, we didn’t hear her cry, but we weren’t told what was happening. The midwife sent my partner over – who had to witness the neonatal team resuscitating her as she wasn’t aware initially. As I was in surgery, I wasn’t told what was going on until we had returned to our labour suite. We still hadn’t met Cecilia at this point.
After what felt like forever, the consultant came in and showed us a picture of Cecilia. They explained that she had meconium aspiration and she needed help breathing. They discussed the possibility of her moving to a different unit - possibly Oldham, and having to do a cooling treatment to prevent brain damage.
She was thankfully trialled off the vent and moved on to just oxygen and didn’t require cooling. She then had to have two lumbar punctures and was diagnosed with sepsis. They also had to complete treatment with needles in her scalp to monitor her brainwaves.
By this point, the anaesthetic had worn off and we were able to go down to the unit to meet Cecilia. After another day in the maternity ward, we then moved downstairs into the unit where we stayed for the remainder of the week.
It was difficult not knowing what was happening, and we were in shock as we weren’t aware that these complications could arise. We had to stay on a ward with parents and their newborns while our baby was downstairs without us, until I was mobile enough to sleep on the beds in the COCH NNU.
Cece was born 11 days over due and is now 12 months old. She is thriving – but the emotional trauma for myself and my partner still remains. We were supported really well by the nurses on the unit and were signposted to Bliss. There were posters on the unit, but I didn’t register these at the time.
Having a full term baby on the NICU was very confusing. You don’t hear about it and even now people will ask how early she was when I say she was on the NICU. We felt unprepared because you’re not told of any of the problems that can happen at full term like sepsis or meconium aspiration.
It was quite isolating at times, even though the nurses and doctors were all amazing, it felt at times that we didn’t belong because Cecilia wasn’t born premature. Even now we have wonderful friends that we wouldn’t have known had it not been for our NICU journey from the support group, but I sometimes feel like we don’t quite fit in because
Cecilia wasn’t premature, but we also didn’t have that full term birthing experience that so many of my other friends seemed to have so don’t really fit in with that. I find it difficult to share our birthing story at times as it feels very traumatic. I am receiving counselling and we have a NNU support group which has been really useful.
My advice would be to other parents to talk about it as much as you can and lean on supportive friends and family wherever possible. I blamed myself for a while, wondering if it was something I did wrong. It wasn’t - although they did say that they don’t know the cause. If support is offered take it, and if it is not - ask for it. I had to fight for mental health support.
