Friday 18 February 2011

Lesley's story, UK - waters breaking early and Group B Strep

"September 2002

This was my first pregnancy. I was 19 years old and 28 + weeks pregnant.

In this pregnancy I had really bad sickness and and sciatica, I was bed ridden for weeks with my back. Other than that I was enjoying it. One day in September 2002 I was having a lie down (at my partner at the time's house) as I wasn't feeling too well. When I felt a gush of warm water between my legs I got up in such a fright and looked at the bed; it looked like I had peed the bed. My boyfriend at the time shouted for his mum who phoned my local midwifery unit who said I had to go to the labour suite 25 miles away and had to wear a pad. So I did and when we got to the hospital they tested my pad and said that it was my waters that had gone. I got put straight on a drip to try to stop the contractions and got steroids injections. I was so scared but they said that they would do everything in their power to stop my labour progressing. I got a scan and was told the head was well down. Hours passed and I was kept in the labour suite as they said my baby was well on his way. During the night nothing seemed to happen; I was given the steroids again 12 hours after the first time. I was kept on my drip to stop my labour for 48 hours. After that they put me up to the maternity ward and I got checks every few hours. This would be my new home for the next week. During the week they discovered Group B Strep in my urine and in my high vaginal swap. I had never heard of this before and was puzzled to what it was so I was explained to that I would need antibiotics for the rest of my pregnancy because of my waters breaking and that also during my labour that I would need a drip in to administer antibiotics straight into me to stop my baby becoming ill when he entered the birth canal. After they were convinced that I was OK to go home, I was given my tablets and leaflets and told not to have sex. 

October 2002

I was getting checks all the time to make sure everything was OK, I would have scans and blood taken. When I went for a check one day I was kept in as I was having tightenings, nothing happened and after a few days I got home. This happened a few times over the next few weeks. 

20 November 2002 

36 weeks pregnant

They were really happy that I had made it this far and decided I would be booked in for induction on the 2nd December, 18 days before my due date. On the 20th November I got my usual scan and blood taken and they said everything was fine. The next day, 21st, I received a phone call from a midwife telling me to get straight into the hospital as they had found a problem in my blood. I was so scared. I got there straight away when I was told that my CPU level in my blood was at 2 and if it went to 3 there was a great danger of infection and that I was to be induced straight away. I was taken to the labour suite and put on my drip to start my contractions and my drip for antibiotics so here I was stuck on a bed with a drip in each hand after about 9 hours my baby boy Dylan entered this world weighing in at 6lb 6oz, 4 weeks early. He was taken away and had swabs taken on his eyes and ears to be sent away to make sure he had not contracted the Group B Strep. Luckily he didn't. We got home after a few days but were back in for a week afterwards as he was really bad jaundiced. I hated being back in there but knew it was the best place for him. 

My son is 9 years old in November and he has no idea the trouble we went through to keep him in my belly until 36 weeks - one day I shall explain."

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