All posts filed under: Stories

I hated being pregnant

I hated being pregnant – 5 different experiences

The feeling of “I hated being pregnant” could be more common than you think. Pregnancy can be a complicated and emotional rollercoaster and it’s just not a blissful or happy experience for some women. Not all pregnancies are wanted or expected and some come with the added issues of illness and decision-making. Or you could have a very wanted pregnancy, everything is going well but you hate it – not everyone has to enjoy those 9 months, even though that is probably the hope and expectation. Over the years I have spoken to hundreds of pregnant women and everyone’s experience is so individual but not many women feel comfortable about saying “I hated being pregnant.” I hated being pregnant – feeling ill “I just felt so ill – right from the beginning I felt really nauseous, day and night. I was never actually sick but I felt constantly sea sick. I kept waiting for it to get better but it never really did – it eased a bit during my second trimester but came back …

babyloss awareness

February is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Month – here’s my story…

February is Congenital Heart Defect month – Here is the story of  my son Jamie… My 20-week scan during my third pregnancy did not go to plan – a potential defect with my baby’s oesophagus was highlighted and I was referred to the Fetal Medicine Unit at the RVI for a more detailed scan. They too thought there was an issue with my baby’s oesophagus but they also thought there was a problem with his heart – both would need monitoring and so my rollercoaster journey of hospital appointments and huge emotion began. Every couple of weeks I was scanned, my baby’s heart was thoroughly checked but there was no agreement on what the defect was. After one scan, it was even thought that there was no heart defect. But the next scan confirmed that something wasn’t right. The majority agreement among the brilliant team of consultants was that my baby had hypoplastic left heart syndrome – the left side of his heart was not developing properly. This is a life threatening defect. I was …