Sarah Hilton tells her birth story: 'My husband and I had just returned from our wedding in Mauritius and we decided that it was the right time to try for a baby.
A month later I was pregnant - I couldn't believe it happened so quick.
I had a sickly pregnancy with morning sickness lasting all day but it was nothing I couldn’t cope with.
At 32 weeks I started to get really itchy feet at night and after a couple of weeks without sleep I got desperate and decided to do something about it.
I typed into Google ‘itching during pregnancy’ and all of my symptoms matched a condition called Obstetric Cholestasis, I read that it could be potentially harmful to my baby so I phoned the maternity ward at the hospital straight away.
They told me to come in that morning and they would examine me to see if I did have this condition. On arrival at the hospital they did a blood test and the results came back with my bile acids levels at 112 when they should be in single figures.
They advised that I did have Obstetric Cholestasis and I was put on medication straight away. The consultants informed me of the risks, and one being a possibility of having a stillborn if I went full term.
I was devastated but was reassured that there was only a small risk of this and if I was to be induced at 38 weeks the chances of having a healthy baby were very high.
I had to go to hospital twice a week to have the baby’s heartbeat monitored and to have blood tests to see if the condition was responding to the medication. By this time the itching had spread all over my body, I had no appetite and constantly felt sick.
At 38 weeks I went into hospital and was induced by a Prostaglandin pessary that night. The following day came but I still hadn’t started contracting. They tried again with a second pessary but 24 hours later and still nothing so the hospital let me home overnight.
I returned the next day full of optimism that it would work this time but I was wrong. After a third pessary and a full day with only mild contractions coming and going, the consultant decided to try the Syntocinon drip to see if this would kickstart the contractions.
This didn’t work either and I was starting to get really worried. I was examined by a doctor and they decided to break my waters as I was 2cm dilated.
But after another full day with no sign of labour the consultant advised that it was a failed induction, and that the only other option was to have a Caesarean Section as they couldn’t leave it any longer because they had broken my waters.
I was relieved that finally I was going to meet my baby but disappointed because I really wanted a natural birth.
My beautiful baby boy Max was finally born by Caesarean Section on Sunday 10th February 2008 at 3am weighing 8lbs 8oz.
After 2 days the OC had gone.
I do want more children and I am aware that the OC will probably return but at least I know how to deal with it now.'
