"The care and attention I received was fantastic"

I recently had a baby boy at South West Acute Hospital through a planned Caesarian section. This is my second baby, the first was a natural birth. The section was a planned one and took place two weeks before my due date.

The procedure was more high risk due to me having placenta previa, where the placenta was completely covering the exit for the baby. I had several scans throughout my third trimester to keep track of the positioning of the baby. These scans also showed that not only was the placenta at the back of the womb but also coming round the front too, which made things much more complicated for delivery.

I was made aware of many of the risks that came with this type of section, which made me very nervous and overwhelmed on the lead up to the section. There was a possibility that a lot of bleeding may occur, which would put myself and the baby at risk, and also a high chance of needing a blood transfusion. There was also the possibility of needing a hysterectomy in the worst case scenario. I was also told there would be a bed in ICU available for me if needed after the section.

These thoughts left me very much on edge on the weeks previous to my delivery. I was looking forward to it being over and all the different outcomes replayed over in my mind.

I am happy to say that the care and attention I received at SWAH was fantastic. I am very lucky that my baby arrived safe and well and that the procedure turned out to be successful with no complications or issues.

I want to thank all of the midwives and consultants that looked after me so well. I will never forget the care and effort everyone put in. Particularly want to thank Tara, who was present throughout the whole procedure and very much made me feel at ease. Tara was so helpful and made the experience very smooth for me.