“My pregnancy with Winter had zero complications right until the very end. When I was 30+3, my water broke while I was at work. I’d had no indication that I was at risk of preterm labour, in fact, I’d had a check up the day before and everything was perfect.

Upon arrival at my local hospital, it was confirmed that I had PPROM (preterm premature rupture of membranes) and infection had already begun. The hospital decided to transfer me to Mercy Hospital about 45 minutes away because my local didn’t have a NICU or deliver before 34 weeks. I wasn’t contracting or dilated and the plan was to keep me on bedrest until I went into labour.

Contractions started in the ambulance and by the end of the 45 minute trip I was contracting every 2 minutes. When I was checked I had dilated from 0-7cm in the ambulance and taken straight to the birth suite. I was told I’d developed an infection called Chorioamnionitis, an infection of the placenta and my body was rejecting the pregnancy. During labour I went into septic shock and was given a magnesium drip. I was unable to have any pain relief as I was too late. Within an hour and a half of arriving at the hospital, Winter was born weighing 1687g, and thankfully crying vigorously! She was taken to the NICU where she spent 2 weeks on CPAP before being transferred back to our local hospital.

When she was 3 weeks old she developed NEC (Necrotising Enterocolitis) and had to be transferred to Monash Children’s in Clayton which was around a 20 minute trip from home. She spent a week on antibiotics and gut rest before coming back to our local hospital and being discharged at 37 weeks, she spent a total of 7 weeks in the hospital.

We had lots of scares and many emotions in this time, it took a long time for the shock of it all to wear off. We’ve since discovered that I have an incompetent cervix which ultimately led to PPROM.

Winter is currently 7.5 months old and doing really well, she is the light of our lives and we’re so proud of how far she’s come!”