A HOPEFUL mum was terrified when hospital staff went quiet at her 22-week scan, not long after she miscarried one twin.
Amy Basham, 32, had a difficult pregnancy from the start.
Amy BashamAmy Basham, 32, pictured with her new-born daughter Daisey, had a difficult pregnancy which she described as “hellish”[/caption]
Amy BashamDoctors diagnosed baby Daisy with total bowel obstruction when mum Amy went in for her 22-week scan[/caption]
Amy BashamAmy is pictured with now-husband Kurt and daughter Daisey, who she delivered at 35 weeks on June 13 last year[/caption]
She and her then fiancé Kurt, 29, had been together four years when they decided to have a baby.
Amy said: “We fell pregnant pretty much as soon as we started trying.
“But from the start, I had extreme morning sickness, known as hyperemesis gravidarum – throwing up six or seven times every day, despite medication.
“Then at seven weeks pregnant, I started bleeding and had a miscarriage.”
But Amy and Kurt were given new hope shortly after.
“Fortunately I soon found out there was still one baby left inside me – I’d been carrying non-identical twins.”
At 16 weeks they paid for a private scan, to find out that Amy was carrying a little girl. They named her Daisey.
Amy continued: “At our 20-week scan the baby was curled into a ball – the sonographer couldn’t get the measurements they needed.
They returned for another scan two weeks later.
Amy recalled: “But at that scan, the room went quiet.”
She was referred to a specialist foetal medical unit for further investigations.
We were living in dread of what was to come.
Amy Basham
There, the couple learned that Daisey had a total bowel obstruction. Her bowel was effectively blocked, so amniotic fluid couldn’t pass through her properly, impacting her growth.
And when she was born, she wouldn’t be able to pass a poo, which would be life-threatening.
Amy recalled: “It was an awful shock and from then on I needed weekly monitoring and scans.
“Meanwhile the extreme sickness continued, even while my tummy swelled from excessive amniotic fluid (known as polyhydramnios) because it wasn’t being processed normally – which made my tummy enormous and rock hard, and left me feeling breathless and uncomfortable.”
What is polyhadramnios?
Polyhydramnios is where there is too much amniotic fluid around the baby during pregnancy. It tends to be spotted in the later stages of pregnancy.
Symptoms of the condition might include:
breathlessness,
heartburn
constipation
swollen ankles and feet
Polyhydramnios is not usually a sign of anything serious, but it might sometimes herald pregnancy and birth complications, including premature birth or the baby having a health condition. Mums will need extra check-ups to spot any of these.
But despite everything they went through, Amy and Kurt chose not to share their worries with anyone except their very closest family and friends.
“We put on a front, pretending everything was okay, partly because we were afraid, partly because we didn’t want to worry everyone,” she explained.
“But we didn’t finish decorating the nursery because we couldn’t face it, and we barely bought anything for our baby, in case it was tempting fate.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say that our whole pregnancy was hellish.
“We were living in dread of what was to come.”
There she was, this tiny little thing, covered in wires.
Amy Basham
It had been planned that Amy would give birth by Caesarean at 37 weeks, but on June 13 2022 – at 35 weeks – she went into labour naturally.
Then while making their way to a specialist hospital two hours from their home, they found there was no bed in the special care baby unit for Daisey.
So the mum in labour faced a 2.5 hour journey in an ambulance from her local hospital to another specialist hospital, contracting all the way.
Having finally arrived there, she had an emergency C-section six hours later, under general anaesthetic.
Amy said: “When I woke up, I was in a room, with a nurse. No Kurt, no crying baby. Nothing. I was told she was ”okay” and in NICU.
“I had no emotion that day, I was on too many drugs.
“I just about remember being pushed in a wheelchair to meet Daisey, when she was 12 hours old.
“There she was, this tiny little thing, just 3lbs 9oz, covered in wires, a tube up her nose, sucking out everything from her bowel that she couldn’t pass herself.
“You can’t envision what a baby this little looks like when you’ve only ever seen seven-pound babies.
“Her dummy looked huge in her mouth and she could curl herself around one of the baby bottles.”
At one day old, Daisey had major bowel surgery. For the next two days she was on a ventilator.
Amy said: “The next few days were a whirlwind.
“My milk came in, emotions increased even more, and I was in awful pain from my C-section.
“Daisey’s stomach was aspirated every hour, sucking out lots of green and yellow liquid.
“Meanwhile she was being fed on TPN, which is effectively the protein that she needed to feed her, as she couldn’t have any milk.”
After going through time in a NICU, you don’t sweat the small stuff.
Amy Basham
At one week old, Daisey was well enough for her parents to be able to change their first nappy.
At ten days old, she had her first bottle.
Finally, at three weeks old, she was sufficiently well to be able to go home.
And she recovered so well that at three months old, she was her parents’ flower girl.
Wearing a white dress and a bonnet, she was carried down the aisle of the church by one of her grandmothers.
“Daisey stole the show, she was the centre of attention!” smiled Amy.
Since then, thankfully, the tot has flourished, proving herself to be a healthy, happy baby, and hitting all her milestones – albeit around four weeks late with each because she was premature.
“The positives are that after going through time in a NICU, you don’t sweat the small stuff.
“When Daisey wakes at night, we are grateful, knowing we didn’t get to see to her in the middle of the night for her first few weeks of life.
“Her first jabs were not scary, when she’d been through a major operation.”
Amy said her advice to anyone else with a premature baby, going through a similar journey to her own, would be to always ask questions.
“If you don’t understand a medical term, don’t be embarrassed – ask what it means.
“Always remember, you are the parent – ask if you can change nappies, and carry out basic care for your baby. If you get a no from staff, just ask why.
“Also, if other parents are comfortable talking to you, make friends.
“Having a friendly face in the room makes such a difference, and you end up caring for how their babies are doing, too.”
Amy BashamAt 3 months old, Daisey was well enough to be a flower girl at her parents’ wedding and “stole the show”[/caption]
Amy BashamParents Amy and Kurt “don’t sweat the small stuff” after their journey to the NICU[/caption] Read More