Interview 72

Age at interview: 38

Brief Outline: Placenta praevia diagnosed in most recent pregnancy. Spent several weeks in hospital before the birth (baby born 2002). More of this interview can be seen on the Healthtalkonline antenatal screening site as Interview 39.

Background: Children' 2, aged 8 and 1 at time of interview. Occupations' Mother- business analyst, Father- accountant. Marital status' married. Ethnic background' White British.

From 30 weeks she had to stay in hospital because she had placenta praevia. She was allowed home...

Well I don't know, I suppose it's one of those, I was happy to go through anything if I could end up with the baby I wanted at the end of it, I suppose. So if I had to put up with it, I had to put up with it, and you know, you just have to make the best of it, don't you? OK, I had to spend from twenty nine weeks in hospital, but you know, when I had a big bleed one day at 5 o'clock in the morning, I was jolly glad to be in hospital. You know, I wasn't in there - I was in there for my own sake, and I could understand that. Whereas some people are, you know, very anti being in hospital, I just accepted it and, you know, I suppose.

Were you able to go home between the scan?

Yes, they let me go home at the weekends in the end, because when I went, I got admitted because I was bleeding. They kept me in until I could have a scan, which, because the weekend came in the middle, was about four days later. Scanned me and said, 'OK, you're grade four,' which is the worst-case scenario, where the placenta's right over the cervix. And luckily I'd already talked to my midwife about this when they'd mentioned it, because I didn't know what placenta praevia was before. She'd explained about the gradings and what was the likely scenario, and if you're grade four she said to me, 'You'll be in hospital from thirty weeks,' so there it was following on quite nicely with her predictions, you know. She didn't know what grade I was, but her explanation had followed true. 

Well, I think when I'd phoned to say I was bleeding, they'd said, 'Come in with an overnight bag" you know. "Be prepared.' So because I'd talked about placenta praevia, I suppose I knew that this might be it, sort of thing. Then I think after a couple of weeks I was allowed to go home at the weekend, because I'd had a big bleed, where I'd been glad to be in there, because there'd been all this risk about having the baby at thirty weeks and everything, and I'd, I'd had one of those of steroid injections, just in case, you know, whatever. And then I think things settled down and I didn't bleed again. I don't think I ever bled again in fact after that, until I actually had, you know, had the baby. So they let, my consultant let me go home at the weekend. I came back to sleep in the hospital, but I went home in the day. 

And he sort of said his approach was that, 'OK, that's, you know, it's good for your sanity, but we're not risking too much.' And as I actually only live five minutes from the hospital and I had to have telephone number so we could ring in, if something happened, and I was appropriately equipped, you know. Lest we have to rush back I would have my bag packed here ready and whatever. So it was, you know, a risk he, worth taking he felt, you know, to make life a bit more bearable, I suppose, especially as we had a daughter at home, so, you know, huge upheaval to family life while you're in hospital, so.

I was going to say, you know, it must have been very hard having a daughter and not being at home?

Oh yes. I mean, my husband was brilliant, my daughter was brilliant, my family were brilliant, you know. We couldn't have done it, done it without any, any of those people really, wonderful support there.

Was she at school during the day?

Yes, luckily she was at school. 

I think there was only, I'm not sure if there were any holidays actually, apart from just when she broke up for Christmas just right at the end, so, which, you know, was fortunate as well, really. So, that was good. At least, you know, most of the day she had normal days, like s