Alicia's motherhood story – The story behind the scar

My birth story is nowhere near what I expected or even thought it would be.

It all started at about the 34-week mark when I went in for a routine check up. My OB did the usual blood pressure check and off I went to get my vile of anti-D medication for him to inject. Whilst I went in for what I thought would be quick jab, turned out to be something else. My Doctor asked me questions like, "have you had really bad headaches or blurry visions?” to which I replied "no". I felt my heart beat out of chest when the Doctor said that my blood pressure was 140/90.

I had the early stages of pre-eclampsia or toxaemia. I kind of knew what this was as my Auntie developed it whilst pregnant and of course Kim Kardashian who delivered North at 35 weeks (yes I Googled this once I found out what was going on!) also developed the same symptoms. I was lucky that no other symptoms developed over the next couple of weeks besides the occasional headache and high blood pressure.

On the Thursday before Aston was born, while watching TV with my husband, I went to the toilet and noticed that I was starting to lose my mucus plug. In my over anxious state I made myself believe I was having contractions, so off I went to hospital. After about an hour I was sent home, as nothing really eventuated. To say that I was relieved was understatement. That Saturday, I woke up not feeling right. I had a fever that was going up every 15 minutes. I messaged my husband explaining the symptoms I was having and as always, he down played the situation.

Deep down inside I knew that something wasn't quite right, so I rang my OB who suggested to go to the hospital immediately so that he could do some further investigation. There I was, at 36 weeks and 2 days hooked up to monitors, getting blood drawn and with my blood pressure monitored.

My Doctor hadn't even received my results as to what was causing my fever but he wasn't happy with the baby’s heart rate at all. My soon to be son was already showing signs of distress, so he said the words that I will never ever forget "YOU WON'T BE GOING HOME TODAY WITHOUT A BABY".

Immediately I was prepped, given a steroid shot for Aston's lungs and I was on my way to surgery. I have never been more excited and nervous to be sliced open in my life! Within two hours of being in hospital and a short 15 minutes of being in surgery, I was holding my sweet baby.

Little Aston was born at 36 weeks and 2 days weighing a healthy 2.9kgs and he was considered a late term premmie. He spent 5 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with 3 1/2 days of that with the Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) on and 2 days in special care.

Since my pregnancy and then having Aston, I began to notice that there were quite a lot of judgemental people out there (especially on social media). I guess if you're not giving birth by a water stream, under a tree with a deer as a witness, you didn't do it properly. We are sadly so quick to judge a mother by how she gave birth or how she is feeding. I remember reading a post on Instagram that said that having a c-section is not birthing a child! I am sorry, what did you just say?!?

This is how we put fear in to new mums to make sure that don't go down this 'awful' path. Trust me – it happened to me. One time during an appointment with my midwife she told me about the statistics of their program and how the hospital had reduced the occurrence of c-sections by a certain amount. If I didn't have an emergency c-section and pushed for a natural labour, who knows what could have happened? Most of the time there is a story behind the scar and this is mine so before you judge or say "I am sorry that you had to have a c-section" (because trust me I am not sorry about how I brought my son into this world!) just congratulate the new mum. There is a lot worse things in this world other than having a c-section.

This is my story, a story that I am so proud of because it's how Aston was brought into this world.

I wouldn't change that for anything.

ABOUT ALICIA

Alicia says: My obsession will always be any reality show that I can get my hands on, any Real Housewives franchise, Keeping up with the Kardashians and I secretly love Gogglebox! Before becoming a mum I worked as production coordinator for a fashion company. I am crazy perfectionist Virgo, this really shines when I dress Aston!

Hood: Carlton

Children: One son – Aston.

Motherhood in 5 words: Fun, wild, unexpected, tiring and crazy.

Fav family-friendly place: Rathdowne St Park.

Coffee order: Cappuccino with one sugar.

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Disclaimer

The information in this story is a unique and personal reflection of the writer's experience. If you have any specific questions about any medical matter you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition you should seek immediate medical attention. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.