Throughout the pregnancy, I was increasingly aware that this might be my only pregnancy, hey that wasn’t in the plan! Plan? Hah that’s a joke now!

I liked being pregnant to a certain extent, it was great to be fussed over, to get my own way, sleep when I wanted and not be judged! But equally I didn’t like the rate at which my bump grew and all the related issues of stretching and itchiness, insomnia, SPD (NHS-SPD) and that it was all over before I knew it! I was lucky that I didn’t have any sickness, which often is excessive with multiples and sometime a sign you’re having more than one!

Scanning process

Once we were transferred under consultants at Kings College we began scanning every 2 weeks, which is quite normal for a higher order multiple pregnancy. Always a Thursday and it took a whole day!

Be prepared for this to take a while. They need to measure and record Doppler readings for each baby and to make sure it’s a different baby every time!  We often took food supplies, and had to stop for a break to walk and stretch it was exhausting and hungry work! I bought a ‘wedge’ cushion and towards the end I used to take this to appointments too to prop under my back. (I once found my husband using it to prop his belly after a big meal!) Now we use it under the mattress if one of the kids have a blocked nose to raise the head slightly. It’s brilliant!

Everything seemed to be progressing fine. I was tired and by 26 weeks it was difficult to do the long commute to work and so I decided start my maternity leave early… Finally I had time to rest, organize and prepare, it’s called ‘nesting’ I think. It didn’t last long. The following weekend I was admitted for observation to my local hospital, I had lost my mucus plug or ‘had the show’. I had no idea there was such a thing! They did some tests to see if I was likely to go into labor anytime soon and thankfully that was clear. I was given some steroid injections to help mature the babies lungs once born as a precaution then discharged and told to put my feet up!

We had decided to renovate the house and make some vital changes to accommodate the new arrivals. Which didn’t leave much room to put my feet up. Carpets needed to be chosen, bedrooms needed moving, de-cluttering to make space for cots, nappies, etc. and a new kitchen to fit!

28 weeks!

This was it, the week the ‘fun’ began. We went to our normal scan, all seemed fine until we had some worrying news. My little boy was struggling, although still growing he had slowed and the blood flow in the umbilical cord was intermittently absent (Absent umbilical arterial end diastolic flow AEDF).

A big blow to our world again, but what does this really mean, it was hard to understand, is he going to be ok? What damage is this doing? We had tons of questions which just couldn’t be answered. We were told that we would be monitored daily with a view to get to 32 weeks. This meant every other day traveling into London Kings College for scans and Doppler’s and the days in-between for CTG monitoring at my local hospital. We were beyond exhausted, worried, emotionally and physically drained. AEDF doesn’t often correct itself, the prognosis is early delivery and complications. That is what we were preparing for.

3 more weeks!

We made it another 3 weeks, with continuous scans and always with the same goal, to get to 32 weeks.

We got to 30+3 (Friday 22nd May 2015). With the blood flow in my sons umbilical cord getting increasingly absent, a decision was made by my consultant at Kings to admit me for 24 hour observation with a view to deliver Tuesday 26th May.

Week 30 proved to be pivotal in what was to be the next part of our journey. I had also seen a consultant that week at my local hospital, Wexham Park, one who I had seen periodically in my pregnancy but never exclusively. She now had explained that I was supposed to be under the Berkshire Trust hospitals that meant me being admitted to Kings would go outside of their ‘policy’, and that I should have been cared for under the team at John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford for fetal care but actually now Wexham were ‘happy’ to have me deliver there!

After 30 weeks they decided THEY were happy. Well I was not! All the stress, time and effort of travelling in and out of central London was frustrating. My care was outstanding at Kings College and their expertise was second to none but to know I could have stayed local was enough to reduce me to tears. Did the travelling and exhaustion be a contributing factor to my current situation? No one will ever know.

We decided that it would be much easier to be closer to home and with that I was admitted to Wexham on Saturday 23rd May 2015. There was then some uncertainty if I would deliver on Tuesday,  1 minute there was space in neonatal and everyone (hospital staff) were happy but then next minute there wasn’t space which meant the babies could be delivered but then split across hospitals for care. This was not an option how can they be split? Eventually late on Monday we were told there was no room in the inn and I was sent to John Radcliffe, Oxford to deliver ‘at some point that week’.

On Tuesday 26th May AM, I was monitored, scanned and told that there were a few emergencies so they weren’t sure if I’d be slotted in today. Then before I knew it I was being prepped and gowned for delivery, talk about a whirlwind!

Throughout the pregnancy we tried to keep even the negative news upbeat for the family, this was really hard. We never wanted to instill the fear we had into our support network, you can’t put your loved ones through that. Truth was we were scared, really scared that we may not be bringing all our babies home.

Now onto the delivery of our miracles!