Lisa Takes A Tumble

We had a bit of a scare today which resulted in me going to hospital to be monitored in the pregnancy assessment unit.

While carrying the laundry basket down the stairs I somehow managed to lose my footing, slip and go skidding down the stairs. Having no hands free to grab the bannister to save myself, I tried to break my fall with my left elbow but still managed to land rather awkwardly on my bum and lower back. The pain in my elbow was intense but that wasn't what bothered me. My only thoughts were for Baby T and what damage I may have done. Graeme came flying down the stairs like a bat out of hell, to find me still lying there in a crumpled heap, too shocked and scared to move. After the initial fright wore off, I burst into tears. Graeme helped me up and took me to the sofa, by which point I was inconsolable.

Once I'd managed to stop crying, Graeme suggested that I ring my Midwife for advice, so I got straight on the phone. It took a couple of attempts, but I eventually got through and after explaining what had happened I was told to ring the assessment unit at the hospital. After hearing that I have a rhesus negative blood type, the assessment unit said I would definitely have to go in to be checked out, as, if I'd had a bleed, I may need another injection of Anti-D.

By this point I was a nervous wreck. I could feel Baby T moving around a bit, but I was doing a good job of convincing myself that something was very wrong. I had visions of all sorts of terrible situations running through my head and just wanted to get the assessment over with. After what felt like an incredibly long drive to the hospital and getting a bit lost once we were in there, we eventually arrived at the assessment unit and were told to take a seat in the waiting area. Although everyone else in there was complaining that it was freezing, I felt very hot and flushed, which I knew was my nerves getting the better of me. The wait seemed to last for hours and when we were called through I practically leapt out of my seat, desperate to find out if Baby T was OK.

The Midwife was very reassuring and said that it was unlikely that any damage had been done as I'd not landed on my abdomen, but a full check would just make sure of that. I was hooked up to a fetal monitor which measured Baby T's heart rate and signs of my abdomen stretching, while I was told to press a button every time I felt him move. The midwife said the monitor should give us the all clear within 10 minutes. We were left alone while the Midwife went off to update my notes. We could hear the hearbeat coming through good and strong and the heart rate was fine, so I immediately relaxed and concentrated on monitoring Baby's movement. Unfortunately, Baby seemed to choose this time to tone down his activity levels and it took 18 minutes, not 10, for us to be certified as OK. He did give some good strong kicks though, so I knew he was OK and felt that maybe all the stress had tired him out a bit! After checking the information gathered by the monitor, the Midwife told us everything was fine and we were free to leave.

Even now, several hours later, I'm still in a bit of shock. It was strange that something as trivial as a fall suddenly took on a whole new meaning because I've got a baby inside of me. I can't ever remember being more worried than I was after that fall, and I'm sure this was just the first in a long line of worries that Baby T will give me in the years to come.

Lisa xxx

PS - I am going to be soooooo sore in the morning!