(Part of our CDH Awareness Month Share Your Story) Story of A Cherub: Charley Stanfield-Maher-charter 2 by Clair Maher , United Kingdom Co-Rep, CPAB Member. Despite the CDH diagnosis we were adamant we were proceeding with the pregnancy and sent to a fetal medicine unit at the RMCH. There we werent really given much more information other than what we already knew. We had googled and found Cherubs , at the time this was ran in the UK as Cherubs UK not UK Cherubs as its known today . I received wonderful support from mums who I am still good friends with today . I took it at the time that no one told us anything because it was just they didnt know. Each baby was different and birth would be the testing time. No mention of ecmo or feto . One extra scan than my other pregnancies and it was I who asked to speak to the surgeon and look around NICU . These were what other expecting parents had been offered . In the December we saw a consultant and I requested an elective c section . 2 reasons . The twins were born by c section and I had found I recovered quicker than my previous natural birth & secondly because in my own way of thinking I couldnt understand how a natural birth wouldnt put Charley through more distress .the Dr reluctantly agreed but told me bluntly YOU DO REALISE YOUR BABY COULD BEDEAD BEFORE YOU GET TO SEE HER ! this was the most honest anyone had ever been , so I said I do and thanks for your honesty . No more appointments now we will see you on 4th March . We arrived at 8am for bloods first . Up to the ward 38 weeks pregnant I stood at the nurses station . Nurse asks yes what are you hear for ? To have my tonsils out I replied !!! Seriously I wasnt in the mood for stupid people , I was about to find out if my baby was gonna survive the day. ! charley was born and whisked away to NICU , I was ill in recovery sick for 2 hours . My poor dad paced the floor in my room awaiting news. Rodney called him to let him know Charley was here and we would be back to my room soon. Rodney and Dad visited Charley a few hours later and then I was pushed round to NICU late evening. She looked huge there in her incubator , blown up like a balloon . Roughly 7lb 4oz a healthy weight. No one said much other than we are taking it min by minute but she is holding her own . Looking around the 8 cots she was by far the biggest baby in there but put in the far corner as the said she was the most poorly and needed to not be startled. She was heavily sedated :( . Now Im not sure what I expected , Id read stories of CDH babies births and they all differed greatly . Its still surreal , 1-1 care , cant touch her, cant hold her, beep beep of those machine s but its real she was here ! how long for ? What now ? We want to bed at 2am after being prized out of NICU ....... Dare we dare to fall asleep ?
Posted on: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 18:00:31 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015