Leanne Steps Up for the M.A
The reason I wanted to take part in the challenge was to raise as much money and awareness around pregnancy loss as it still seems to be such a taboo subject, and a lot of women are finding out that they've lost their babies on their own due to the pandemic.
When I hit 30, my partner and I decided we would love to have a family, most of our friends had recently become parents and we couldn’t wait to have a baby of our own. I fell pregnant within a couple of months of trying and was so shocked when I got a positive pregnancy test at new year 2019, but sadly a few weeks later something didn’t feel right and I went for an early scan, I was told everything looked OK but it was too early to see a heartbeat and to come back a week later.
Sadly just before my next scan I miscarried and it was confirmed at the scan. We were heartbroken but we were told it was quite common for first time pregnancies to end in a miscarriage and to try again. A few months later we decided to try again and in Sept 2019 I found out I was pregnant again, This time I had no signs of any problems, but I decided to go for a private scan at 8w just for some reassurance, which is when I was told I’d had a blighted ovum pregnancy and needed medical management to remove the pregnancy. I felt so numb after the news and couldn’t believe it was happening to us again.
Roll on to July 2020 and I was pregnant for a 3rd time, but at 8w pregnant something didn’t feel right again so I paid for a private scan and was told that they could see the baby but there was no heartbeat. I felt so angry and let down by my body and just wanted the baby removed as soon as possible so I could start grieving for another loss, but it took another 2 weeks for my body to realise and I ended up in A&E with complications. Due to the pandemic I had to go to A&E on my own which was scary and hard not to have any support whilst I miscarried our baby on my own on a ward.
We have since been referred to a fertility clinic and are still hoping for our rainbow.
The reason I wanted to take part in the challenge was to raise as much money and awareness around pregnancy loss as it still seems to be such a taboo subject, and a lot of women are finding out that they’ve lost their babies on their own due to the pandemic. Charities like the Miscarriage association are so crucial to them to get the help and support that they need.
Leanne