bullpenguin
29-10-2009, 18:51
Our beautiful DD was born on 23 december 2008 but it wasn't an easy pregnancy...
At 28 weeks I went into pre term labour which they managed to stop with medications and I was on bedrest in hospital for a week and then sent home on bedrest. This was very hard for me, I'd been going to the gym regularily and been out running 6kms 3 times/week up until then, my DH had to take time off work to make sure I rested.
Then nothing happened for 8 weeks.
At my 36 week check up my obstertician noticed that my placenta was failing and that there wasn't much fluid around the baby. I was sent to the hospital for further ultrasounds and tests and 10 days later our DD was delivered by Caesarean.
She was beautiful and healthy, weighing 2710 grams and 49 cm long.
The first few weeks were hard. DD was very unsettled and when she was 3 weeks old my DH, who is in the army, had to go away for 5 months. I have no family here, they're all overseas, and DH's family are on the other side of the country.
So after DH left I was trying to get my head around motherhood, look after a baby that spend most of the time crying and stay sane. At her 6 week check up our paediatrician told me she had reflux and gave us a script for zantac. A few days later I had a much happier baby and I finally got some sleep. I then took DD and flew to Perth to be with the in-laws for a few weeks and that's when it all began.
At DD's 8 week immunisation we found out that she'd lost weight. I was told not to worry too much and weigh her again a few days later but again we found that she's lost weight.
I spoke to her paediatrician in Sydney over the phone and he suggested topping her up with formula after every feed for a week and see if that helped but still nothing.
I took her back to Sydney to have her investigated and in March, at the age of 13 weeks, she was admitted to Royal North Shore Hospital for failure to thrive.
We spent 5 weeks at RNSH where she had numerous scans, xrays, blood tests, usine tests etc done but nothing came up except that she suffered from severe reflux, but we already knew that.
In early April they put a nasogastric tube in and were hoping that the extra formula through the tube would make her put on weight but she was still not gaining enough. She was also put on a feeding pump over night and eventually she was on the pump 21 hrs/day because she could no longer tolerate larger amounts of food.
She was then transferred to Sydney Children's Hospital to see a specialist but they couldn't find anything there either.
At SCH they made me see a psychologist who told me the cause of DD's failure to thrive was an attachment issue between me and DD, we hadn't bonded correctly. I was so angry when I was told this as I knew there were no bonding issues.
We were transferred back to RNSH with that diagnosis and I had to fight for weeks until another psychologist finally said this was not a case of attachment issues.
I still can't believe the psychologist at Sydney Children's Hospital.
Being accused like that made me start thinking that I actually was a bad mother and lead to that I a few weeks later was diagnosed with postnatal depression.
DD was finally discharged with the nasogastric tube and feeding pump.
DH came home early just before DD was discharged, he couldn't be away from his little girl whith everything she had to go through.
She's today 10 months old, still with the NG tube in and on the pump over night but she's a happy and brave little girl.
The NG tube will come out in the next few weeks to be replaced by a PEG (a feeding tube that ges straight into the stomach through the abdominal wall).
She's still very small for her age, 6.2 kgs, and we still don't have a diagnosis. There have been more hospital stays and many more tests and scans since the first time.
DD is so brave despite everything she's been through.
I just had to share our story and I am wondering if there is anyone out ther who has been through something similar?
At 28 weeks I went into pre term labour which they managed to stop with medications and I was on bedrest in hospital for a week and then sent home on bedrest. This was very hard for me, I'd been going to the gym regularily and been out running 6kms 3 times/week up until then, my DH had to take time off work to make sure I rested.
Then nothing happened for 8 weeks.
At my 36 week check up my obstertician noticed that my placenta was failing and that there wasn't much fluid around the baby. I was sent to the hospital for further ultrasounds and tests and 10 days later our DD was delivered by Caesarean.
She was beautiful and healthy, weighing 2710 grams and 49 cm long.
The first few weeks were hard. DD was very unsettled and when she was 3 weeks old my DH, who is in the army, had to go away for 5 months. I have no family here, they're all overseas, and DH's family are on the other side of the country.
So after DH left I was trying to get my head around motherhood, look after a baby that spend most of the time crying and stay sane. At her 6 week check up our paediatrician told me she had reflux and gave us a script for zantac. A few days later I had a much happier baby and I finally got some sleep. I then took DD and flew to Perth to be with the in-laws for a few weeks and that's when it all began.
At DD's 8 week immunisation we found out that she'd lost weight. I was told not to worry too much and weigh her again a few days later but again we found that she's lost weight.
I spoke to her paediatrician in Sydney over the phone and he suggested topping her up with formula after every feed for a week and see if that helped but still nothing.
I took her back to Sydney to have her investigated and in March, at the age of 13 weeks, she was admitted to Royal North Shore Hospital for failure to thrive.
We spent 5 weeks at RNSH where she had numerous scans, xrays, blood tests, usine tests etc done but nothing came up except that she suffered from severe reflux, but we already knew that.
In early April they put a nasogastric tube in and were hoping that the extra formula through the tube would make her put on weight but she was still not gaining enough. She was also put on a feeding pump over night and eventually she was on the pump 21 hrs/day because she could no longer tolerate larger amounts of food.
She was then transferred to Sydney Children's Hospital to see a specialist but they couldn't find anything there either.
At SCH they made me see a psychologist who told me the cause of DD's failure to thrive was an attachment issue between me and DD, we hadn't bonded correctly. I was so angry when I was told this as I knew there were no bonding issues.
We were transferred back to RNSH with that diagnosis and I had to fight for weeks until another psychologist finally said this was not a case of attachment issues.
I still can't believe the psychologist at Sydney Children's Hospital.
Being accused like that made me start thinking that I actually was a bad mother and lead to that I a few weeks later was diagnosed with postnatal depression.
DD was finally discharged with the nasogastric tube and feeding pump.
DH came home early just before DD was discharged, he couldn't be away from his little girl whith everything she had to go through.
She's today 10 months old, still with the NG tube in and on the pump over night but she's a happy and brave little girl.
The NG tube will come out in the next few weeks to be replaced by a PEG (a feeding tube that ges straight into the stomach through the abdominal wall).
She's still very small for her age, 6.2 kgs, and we still don't have a diagnosis. There have been more hospital stays and many more tests and scans since the first time.
DD is so brave despite everything she's been through.
I just had to share our story and I am wondering if there is anyone out ther who has been through something similar?