Adding to the brood

Deciding to have another child is a decision no one takes lightly. There are so many things to consider, cost , childcare etc. But if like me you have had a previous premature labour you have the added worry of will this one be preemie too? If it is, how will we cope with hospital visits when we already have a toddler? We were lucky last time but what if the next is preemie with long term health issues?
I was never given a reason as to why I went into labour prematurely. I was given a few speculative reasons such as a urine infection. My placenta was delivered immediately after Reuben was born so maybe a problem with that? Could it have been due to the maternity chiropractor manipulating my pelvis back into the correct position the previous day? I wish I had asked more questions after I had given birth as to why Reuben was so premature but I was so exhausted and relieved that he was okay, all I cared about was being with him. All of these could be reasons why, surely it could have been proven or unproven so as I might have some idea as to whether or not I might have another early labour. I remember having internal examinations during labour, I think swabs were taken, so surely this discounts infection otherwise surely they would have told me?! I wasn't told there was anything wrong with my placenta, I saw it was huge and bloody and healthy looking and Reuben was measuring slightly bigger than his gestation so he must have been getting all the nutrients he needed. All of this leads me to hope it was just one of those random fluke things to happen and that this time all will be fine. Of course I've done what everyone else would do and googled the chance of having a second preemie  but couldn't really find a definitive answer. It seems that ladies that deliver early due to preeclampsia have a fifty percent chance of having it again and delivering early and that others who deliver early have around thirty percent chance of giving birth early.
I don't really feel like we consciously made the decision to have another child. We had always wanted two and we had always planned to start trying for the second once Reuben had turned two and that's what we did. I think I just know that this time I might notice more signs and I will do everything I can to ensure this little boy stays in longer! My midwife has said that they will monitor me more closely this time and I will have more urine samples taken and more scans. I will find out tomorrow what monitoring me more closely means as I have an appointment with a consultant who I really hope can give me some answers and reassurance.
This pregnancy I have definitely felt more worried about things but I am trying to be positive. I counted down all the pregnancy milestones last time breathing a sigh of relief to each one met: the 12 week scan, the downs test, the 20 week anomaly scan. The next milestone is reaching 24 weeks where the survival rate is fifty percent and then 27 weeks when the survival rate increases to 80 percent. If Reuben hadn't have been preemie I would still be counting them down, I think everyone does. Up until this week I would say my pregnancy has been quite easy, no sickness just some tiredness. But after a long shift on Monday I really was struggling. I was so tired, I have to wake up at 5.30 am to start work at 6.30 then I'm on my feet all day until 5.30. I got home and really felt I couldn't do anything, I was having a lot more Braxton hicks than what I usually do when I'm not on my feet so much and my back was achey too. I think the consultant will probably recommend I work shorter shifts but we shall see. My next post will be about what the consultant suggests for monitoring me more closely in this pregnancy, its a post I'd love to have been able to see before I got pregnant again so I would know what to expect but I haven't found anything online to answer my questions. So hopefully my next post will help anyone who's previously had a premature labour and is worried about what might happen.