A mum whose baby was born premature despite her doing as much as she could to ensure a "smooth pregnancy" says she feels robbed. Chloe Anslow, 26, was forced to have a caesarean 15 weeks early after she started bleeding unexpectedly.
Son Chase was born on March 22, weighing just 1.4lb - well below the average weight for a newborn. Chloe, from Exeter, is delighted with her child but says she feels disappointed about how her pregnancy ended.
Her partner Joe Hutchings, 30, was unable to be in the room and she couldn't touch or hold Chase, who is still in hospital, for days. A review is being carried out to find out what went wrong.
Chloe said: "I had been doing everything I could to ensure a smooth pregnancy, I'd changed my diet and was doing my best. I guess I was expecting a more normal pregnancy.
"It all hit so fast that we're now in the middle of May and I'm still feeling a lot of loss and an identity crisis with it all. Everything started to go wrong the week before Chase was born.
"I got Covid, even though I had been vaccinated, and so I was off work. On March 16 I had some unexplained bleeding, so I went into hospital.
"They told me it was nothing to worry about because it was not fresh blood. I was discharged, but then four days later I started bleeding again and had abdominal pains as well.
"I didn't think anything of it and returned to work the next day, but it had not stopped. At the hospital doctors spent from 2:30pm to 11:30 trying to figure out what was wrong.
"Nobody could work it out - there was no indication I was going into labour, my cervix was not opening. Eventually after they did some tests they told me that I would be giving birth in the next few hours."
Customer service assistant Chloe was eventually transferred to Bristol St. Michael's Hospital. As a result partner Joe was unable to be with her during the birth, as he can't drive.
After being given steroids, anaesthetics and magnesium phosphate, Chloe was prepared for surgery and went under the knife in the early hours of March 22. Thankfully it went well - and Chase was quickly placed in an incubator.
Chloe said: "I was sad that Joe couldn't come, but it was the right decision. I've been spending time grieving over how I wanted the pregnancy to go though.
"Everyone throughout this journey has been so lovely though, they even held my hand during my surgery and had music on in the background. I have felt a lot of loss and had difficulty processing the trauma from the situation.
"I felt very helpless, and have often questioned my capabilities as a mother as a result of it all - especially when he was first born. Everything he needed had to be done by medical professionals. It made me feel like a nobody to him.
"I couldn't touch or hold him for days, he had to stay in the incubator. It was quite scary because he just looked like a doll when he was a newborn." Chloe says she is due to find out more about what went wrong in the coming days as part of a review into the pregnancy.
Despite his small birth, Chase has amazingly grown to a healthy 1.54kg (3lb 6oz) now - but continues to have issues with a heart duct closing and has suffered several dangerous infections. Chloe added: "He should have had more time to grow so he could be healthier, but he is thriving now. But it has taken a while to get there.
"I am usually in hospital for four to eight hours a day, but sadly Chase probably wont be coming out of hospital until his due date on July 5. They've mentioned that he will have a high chance of delays at meeting key milestones, and may be prone to eye problems and hip issues.
"Doctors have been doing ultrasounds on his heart and lungs constantly to check they are okay. I'm not sure what to expect for the future, but it should be a bit of a unique path. I'm just very happy he's here, it's just a waiting game now."
