Monday 5 December 2011

August 12th - The Arrival of Lola and Lukas

The Nurses are again checking me all the time but I manage to sleep inbetween.

I wake up around 1am and expect there to be someone in my room. I could tell something woke me up and suddenly I feel pain across my kidneys and a strange sensation on my bump. I know instantly that i'm in labour. Trying not to panic, I press my call button and wait for a Nurse. I explain that I think i'm in labour and they call Delivery. I ask them to contact Craig as soon as possible and within a few minutes they tell me he is on his way.

A Doctor comes to see us and explains that they cannot stop the labour, they check my cervix and they can see that the pessary has moved and my cervix is open. They cannot save my babies. I get angry and tell them that they will do all they can to save my children and I don't care what they say, they will help them when they are born.

Hours pass and I remember Craig sitting on the chair in my room with my pink dressing gown over him. He looked scared. Throughout the labour I remain positive and don't use my morphine. When we get transferred to Delivery, I start using Entonox but not very often, I don't even notice things getting faster and more painful. I only have one thing on my mind and that's believing that my babies will be fine.

The midwife manually breaks the waters and when it's time, Craig is ushered to my side as I have to push. A team arrive from SCBU (Special Care Baby Unit). It becomes apparent that my appeals to help my babies have worked.

At 12:35pm our beautiful daughter Lola arrived into the world. She is taken straight to the special table and after a few minutes she is held up for us to see and we were told that she weighed 450g which is 1lb. She was taken next door to the SCBU.

It was harder for our son to be born. It felt like my contractions had stopped, they hadn't and eventually our little boy Lukas arrived at 1:10pm. A couple of minutes later we were told by the Paediatrician that although he was born alive, he couldn't be saved and we were asked if we would like to hold him. We both burst into tears as I said  we would love to hold him. He was handed to us in a little blanket and he was wearing a little white hat. He was beautiful and perfect. Our midwife and the paediatrician were both crying. We were asked if we had our phones with us so that they could take some photos for us.



Shortly after, we had to hand Lukas back for a few minutes while the placentas were delivered. It was clear that the injection i'd been given hadn't worked as contractions completely stopped. In the end the midwife had to pull the cords and then both placentas came out together and Lukas was handed back. We were told he weighed 485g.

I told Craig it was time to call the family. He had already informed them that I was in labour and they were waiting to hear from him. He rang his Mum who had just picked up my brother and were already on their way. He explained about Lola and Lukas and then called his brother and Jodi. Howard would contact my parents to update them in Greece.

The paediatrician arrived with photos of Lola from SCBU. We were asked if we wanted to see her and to make me more presentable, she brushed my hair for me and helped me to a wheelchair. We took Lukas with us to see his sister and placed him inside the incubator with her.



Our daughter was as beautiful as her little brother.

Shortly after we arrive back in the delivery room, Howard and Caroline arrive and then a little later Nick and David. Howard tells me that my Mum will be arriving in the early hours of Sunday as they have managed to book a flight for her.

Craig and I choose a little blue outfit for Lukas and he and his Mum dress him.




We are then told that a hospital in Bristol have accepted Lola. They have the best Neonatal care in the South West Region. An ambulance is on it's way to collect her. Howard asks if everyone can see Lola before she goes and they are taken in two groups to see her. The ambulance arrives and Lola leaves Swindon. I suddenly feel lost as I realise that Craig will have to go and be with her and I will be on my own 30 miles away without my husband and daughter.

The ward agrees that my brother can stay in my room overnight and that we can take Lukas back with us. The Nurses on the ward were amazing and gave us a lovely little basket and blanket for him. Craig leaves with Caroline and Nick for Bristol and rings shortly after to let me know that Lola made the trip safely and that she is at St. Michaels.

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