Navigating A HIGH-RISK PREGNANCY
MUM LIFE WITH LAUREN NEWTON MOTHER-OF-SIX LAUREN NEWTON SHARES HER TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS
Being pregnant is one of my favourite times of my life. The miracle of growing a person and the anticipation of meeting them is so exciting.
I have been very fortunate to have had five fairly good pregnancies. I experienced all the usual pregnancy complaints as well as some more unusual ones, but luckily for me, we always came through with a healthy full-term baby.
When I fell pregnant with number six, it was a different story. Every step of the way was filled with fear and panic. I was never able to relax and enjoy it, because I knew it was going to be a huge fight to get our baby here safely.
So many women go through high-risk pregnancies, and it really made me realise just how frightening it is and how hard it can be to prepare for a baby you may never get to bring home. From going from one appointment to the next hoping for better news, to the anxiety at every toilet stop, fearful of bleeding and worse.
In some ways, I was very lucky that my experience was during lockdown and everyone was home and my workload with the kids was much lighter. No activities and school runs meant bed rest was easier (as easy as can be with five kids).
I was so grateful to go to hospital at 22 weeks and be in a safe place, where I knew if something went wrong, both of our lives could hopefully be saved (once I hit 24 weeks). When I finally had the steroid injections for the baby’s lungs, I felt like we were really in with a good chance.
My problems were severe, but luckily the baby was healthy and it was just a matter of getting as far along as safely possible.
I spent 11 weeks on my own in a hospital room during COVID without being able to see the kids, while waiting and hoping for the best outcome. My time was spent listening for the food trolley (although gestational diabetes meant all the good stuff was off limits) and waiting day by day to hear if my latest scan meant it was safe to try for another week.
I was so relieved that we made it to 33 weeks and delivered our beautiful boy, Alby. He was absolutely perfect with a big Newton head and a very loud scream.
I was so lucky to have the best doctor I could hope for and wonderful nurses. We would never have made it without them.
Many women on my hospital ward didn’t have the same outcome, and I feel so sad for them and all the other families that never get to bring their babies home.
The love parents have for their babies from the moment they are conceived is overwhelming, and it is such a blessing when we get to hold them safely in our arms. I give them all an extra hug each day; thankful for the safe journey we have had to get us here.
‘IT WAS A FIGHT TO GET OUR BABY HERE SAFELY’