JADE Glen’s pregnancy was relatively drama-free, but her daughter’s late entrance wasn’t.
“I didn’t have any morning sickness or cravings, the first obvious sign of my pregnancy was when I started to show early in my second trimester,” Jade said.
“At 20 weeks we found out we were having a girl, which was exciting as it was the first girl on my husband Jamie’s side – he is one of five boys.”
Jade’s smooth pregnancy started to unravel when at 38 weeks, a routine appointment showed that the umbilical cord was below the baby’s head and Jade had to be immediately hospitalised.
“The obstetrician was worried about cord prolapse, and if the water broke, the baby could be deprived of oxygen,” Jade said.
“I wasn’t scared about going to the hospital, as I knew I would be in the best hands in the best place, but it was boring having to lie in bed for a few days.”
Luckily, the baby moved and Jade was discharged, but when the due date of 1 October came and went, she got a little anxious.
“Jamie’s entire family as going to Thailand on 11 and 12 October for his brother’s wedding, so we really wanted them to meet the baby before they left the country.”
Jade’s obstetrician booked her to be induced when she was eight days overdue, but that morning, it was cancelled because the hospital was too busy. It wasn’t until the next day when the second induction date got cancelled that Jade’s emotions reached breaking point.
“I cried. To have the induction cancelled two days in a row was rough,” she said.
“But that night, on Friday the 10th, I ended up going into labour naturally.”
Jade felt pains in her back, because the baby was posterior, but they were 20 minutes apart. She went into the hospital on Saturday, when she was due to be induced and had the gels put on her cervix in the evening.
“I was in the labour ward so I could hear all the other women screaming and giving birth,” she said.
On Sunday morning, the obstetrician broke Jade’s waters and inserted a drip, prompting the contractions to get closer together and more intense.
“I was in the shower, vomiting and in agony. It was overwhelming. After three hours I demanded an epidural,” she said.
“Then in the afternoon, the baby’s heart rate kept dropping and she did a meconium inside me (a bowel movement), which is a sign of distress. I was fully dilated but she hadn’t dropped.”
The midwives tried to get Jade in a variety of positions to help with the labour, but nothing worked. After two more hours, they decided Jade would need an emergency caesarean.
“I felt very calm and was thinking ‘finally this nightmare is over and the end is near’,” she said.
“I was excited to meet her.”
At 8.32pm, after almost two days of labour, Jade finally met her beautiful daughter Lucy Jayne – but the first meeting did go how she had expected.
“I thought I would cry, but instead I just vomited because I was sick from the drugs and exhausted. I also hadn’t eaten anything,” she said.
Jamie had skin to skin contact with Lucy in the recovery room while Jade was cared for. She had lost 1100ml of blood – which classifies as a post-partum haemorrhage, and she needed two blood transfusions that evening.
“I never donated blood before but I will now,” Jade said.
“I never thought I would be the one to need a blood transfusion.”
After a couple of weepy weeks due to the hormonal change causing baby blues, Jade is now settled in at home with her daughter Lucy and is enjoying motherhood.
“We love her very much,” she said.
“I think the best feeling ever is seeing her smile at me. It’s the best thing I could ever see.”
