Friday March 6th 2015 was almost like any other day - I was now 24 weeks and 2 days pregnant, but it was also my daughters 5th birthday.
I was so excited - I had planned an amazing birthday party for her the next day, with all of her friends, and as a surprise, her favourite face painter. The entire party was perfectly planned out and I had nothing else to organise for it.
That day I walked out the door to head to work, pointing at my tummy with a silly comment "today is not your day, so no funny business thankyou". Little did I know at the time, that this particular day my world would be thrown upside down.
I was at work and just returning to my desk after a trip to the toilet - just as I got back to my desk I felt a strange leak - thinking it was just discharge, I sat down at my desk. Curiosity got the better of me though and I thought I'd better head back to the toilet and just double check. As I stood up, I felt more leakage. I sat back down, tried to gather my thoughts, but obviously started stressing - I was determined that I needed to go check things out, so I got up again only to have more leakage. By this point I knew exactly what was going on.
I quickly phoned my mum, as I knew that she was the closest person to come help - "I think my waters have broken" I said to her in a panic on the phone. She said she would be straight there to pick me up - whilst I was on the phone to her, I was shutting down my work computer. I then snuck out the back door without telling a soul what was happening. Whilst walking out, I had a lot more leakage - my membranes had definitely ruptured and I now looked like I had wet my pants. I stood by my own car waiting for my mum as I rang my midwife - not game to sit in my car while I waited, as it was a brand new car and I didn't want to ruin the seat with amniotic fluid - still can't believe that thoughts like that even crossed my mind with what I was going through.
Whilst mum drove me home so we could pack my things I called my hubby - absolutely heartbroken, he dropped everything to come home to me. My gorgeous little girl packed my hospital bag for me, and did a fantastic job, even packing my special teddy bear. I don't think she fully understood what was happening. I phoned my boss and said that I was heading into the hospital with "baby trouble" - didn't know how to tell him that my maternity leave would be starting immediately.
I was surprisingly calm through the whole ordeal. This was exactly what I had gone through 5 years earlier with my daughter, I knew this pregnancy was a lot earlier which had it's own risks, but I had confidence that this time I had a stitch in place and that would keep baby inside.
On arrival to my local hospital, it was confirmed that I had fully ruptured and that I would need to go to a larger hospital with a high level nicu. This particular hospital was about 4 hours away. There were arguments over whether I would be flying or going in an ambulance - the weather was bad, and they didn't want me flying with too much turbulence. They then sent normal ambulance personnel to get me - my midwife refused to let me go into their care and said that I need to have an intensive care paramedic just in case bub did try to make an appearance. I left the hospital in the ambulance, still not knowing if we were going to the airport, or doing the long trip in the ambulance - 10 minutes down the road we got a call to go to the airport.
Surprisingly it was a calm trip. I tried to pretend I was sleeping most of the way. By the time I arrived at Hobart Private Hospital, I had explained what was going on with far too many health professionals - I know it's their job to do it, but seriously when someone is going through that kind of situation, the last thing you need to be doing is repeating the story again and again.
I was all alone. I had asked my husband to stay home and still hold my daughters birthday before coming to Hobart to be with me. I did not want to ruin my daughters birthday - kids just don't understand.
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