Pregnancy Journal

On Tuesday the 6th of March 2007, Luka Vernon Price was born via emergency caesarean section, at the Royal Hobart Hospital. (RHH)
He was 1515g or 3.34oz (7 weeks premature)

Over the weekend I'd had what I'd thought was a 'pregnancy migraine'. If it wasn't better by Monday I was going to go to the hospital Pregnancy Assessment Centre to have a check-up.
On Monday I woke up to Paramedics telling me I'd had a seizure in my sleep and had to go into hospital. Being 8 months pregnant I needed to pee, so Todd helped me up and to the toilet. I washed and dried my hands then spun around to walk out of the bathroom and just kept spinning. I was having another seizure.
I came to in the emergency ward of the RHH where they told me that I had had two eclamsic seizures and they would need to deliver Luka the next day.
They gave me one of two steroid injections, which hurt like a bitch, and hooked me up to a magnesium drip to stabilise my blood pressure, which was over 200, and stop the seizures.
I was then taken to a delivery suite where they kept an eye on me and Luka overnight. I was hooked up to a baby monitoring device.
I had to have my blood taken every 2 hours to check my magnesium levels which resulted in me having a MASSIVE bruise on my arm, and very little sleep.
My body ached every time I moved because I'd used every muscle during the seizures, so not much sleep was to be had anyway.
I was given the second steroid injection, which were to help Luka's lungs finish developing.
I started having Braxton hick’s contractions during the day and every time I did Luka's heart rate rose, so the next day doctors decided that he probably would not be able to survive regular labour and booked me in for a caesarean.

I was told that he would be in a humidicrib at least over night depending on how well he could breathe by himself and after that, in the special care nursery for at least four weeks, until he had started breast feeding and putting on weight.
I was taken into surgery at 11 o'clock, given a spinal block, and Luka was born at 11:30am.

Todd was in the theatre with me and the first thing we said to each other when he was born was “He’s screaming”. This was awesome because it meant he could breathe and was one step closer to being able to come home.

They took him away to be put in the humidicrib and checked over, and I was stitched up. I got out of surgery around 12 and was taken to recovery to get the feeling back in my lower half.
 

I was in hospital for 6 days after the surgery, but it was driving me insane so I came to my parents place. I hate leaving my little boy in the hospital, it tears me apart when I walk out the door, but I know that he is getting the best help he can in there and he is progressing really well. He’s not sick, he is perfect, but for the fact he has very little fat on him and is only just developing a sucking reflex, and I am so grateful for that.