Jacob - Long Post

Jacob is our eldest child, the first of our 2 sons. We decided after buying our house in the beginning of 2007 that we wanted to start our family.

After a few months of trying, a few pregnancy tests and a few tears, I suddenly realised after a week of being late that I may be pregnant. After taking a test at my sisters with ant and me hovering over it like it was going to explode, we got the result we wanted. Positive!

I had quite bad morning sickness, though I could eat & eat. It was decided by everyone who saw me that I was having a big baby.

I went for my scans each time anxious for all to be ok.

12 week scan and everything was confirmed and my due date 24th July 2008 was given.

20 weeks scan and all checks were carried out and we were told.our baby was healthy. We were also told at this scan that we were having a baby boy. Which we were over the moon about as I always wanted to start my family off with a boy. I have a bit of a soft spot for them. We decided to name him Jacob Antony Terry Sale.

I was quite an anxious pregnant woman so we decided to have a private 4d scan at 28 weeks to check all was ok and they told us we were having a healthy baby. We were thrilled. We couldn't wait.

My pregnancy was not easy as I was still working full time in a busy dental surgery and to be honest, they ran me into the ground. I had a few scares around 30 weeks and a few trips to triage, but I was always reassured. It was decided collectively that I would start my 9 months maternity leave early at 32 weeks as I couldn't take the pace of the surgery anymore. Of course I was given the usual ribbing "you're pregnant, not ill" but inside I didn't feel well at all.

About a week into my maternity leave I started to develop terrible headaches, and dizzy spells and generally feeling ill.

On Friday 13th (I hate these) of June I woke up feeling awful. Thinking I just needed some fresh air, I agreed to pop to the shops with my mom & sister. Half way through I literally broke down crying on the high street saying "I feel like I'm dying" I was met with, quite understandably "don't be dramatic, you're pregnant, not ill." So I got the hump and went home. I noticed that Jacob wasn't really moving as much as previously and he was a lazy baby at best.

I tried everything, the hot & cold drinks, the scrunching, the baths amongst other things and nothing would make him move. After all this I rang triage, they asked me a few questions and with my answers they asked me to go into hospital. By this time it was half past 1 in the morning. So I woke my husband and we made the trip to the hospital. From what the nurse had said. Things weren't looking good.

I live literally a ten minute drive from the hospital but in that trip I mentally prepared myself for a still birth. This sounds terrible but I was petrified. Once we arrived we were put on a trace a they picked a very weak, intermittent heart beat. The doctors and nurses all passed around concerned looks, so I decided in my head to accept it. It was then decided I was would go for a scan to see what to do next.

The scan showed us that Jacob wasn't moving, his heartbeat was weak but he was alive. Just. It also revealed that he was incredibly small. None of which had been detected at any scans. They then planned to get him out to give him a fighting chance so I was rushed down to theatre for an emergency c section.

In the theatre all sorts of things were going through my head. Will he get to even see me once or will it be too late. How will I deal with this? Questions after questions. When they started opening me up I was not surprised that when they took him out this little purple shape dashed past my eyes and he didn't cry. Antony asked why he wasn't crying and I just calmly said "you know why, but it will be ok. We can get trough this"

And then I heard it....

It was weak and it was so quiet but it was there... A beautiful tiny little cry, to which I responded with hysterical sobbing. From that moment I was determined. My son will live and we will all fight together. I couldn't have loved him more.

At 4.43 am on Saturday 14th June 2008 Jacob was born all 4lb of him.

It was incredibly overwhelming and scary but I felt like the luckiest person in the world. My instinct had served me well.

Unfortunately upon examination there were a few issues, Jacob had a heart murmur, which it later transpired that he had a serious heart condition. Tetralogy of fallot. (all to be explained in a later post) it was explained to us that Jacob would have to undergo a series of operations to repair his heart.

At 9 months old Jacob had open heart surgery at Birmingham Children's Hospital. He made an amazing recovery. We were super proud of him.

Jacob is an amazing little boy and is now 5 and in year 1 at school. He is a little comedian and I cannot imagine life with out my little soldier. I love him so much.

H xxx