I am so lucky and so grateful for this group. I simply stumbled across one of your videos and started monitoring movements as soon as possible. My babies kicks were quite regular so no problem there but after checking myself into hospital twice due to severe abdominal pain I’d been having for weeks and going to see my GP to get a third opinion, I was told “it’s just braxton hicks take more panadol”, even though I was already taking 8 a day. Eventually one night my sister called an ambulance and I was sent to a different hospital. I remember just crying and begging for the doctor there to believe me that something was not right. He took a simple blood and urine sample, something no one had done up to that point and the next day the doctor called me and asked me to come back in. They found out I had HELLP syndrome. HELLP syndrome is life threatening and with dangerously high liver enzymes and a low platelet count my little girl was born that night by cesarean at 33 weeks.
The thing that kept repeating in my head was this video. Still Aware taught me to trust my instincts and follow my gut. It was very frustrating and scary when I felt like no one was listening. I’d never heard of HELLP syndrome before but I knew something was wrong and I’m glad I kept pushing for answers!
I really can’t thank Still Aware enough! It took me a while to work up the courage to contact you as I wasn’t sure I would find the right words. There really are no words to describe how grateful I am. As a first time Mum it’s hard to know who to trust and to know what is or isn’t normal but you guys taught me to trust myself. Having her so early was quite scary. Weighing in at a tiny 1.5kg I was told she had probably been struggling to get the nutrition she needed from me for a couple of weeks, but otherwise she was born healthy and strong. Georgia was breathing and breastfeeding on her own at just 3 days old.
I would love to show my support for your beautiful cause and hope that it benefits many more mums out there in similar situations.
Eternally grateful! You guys are angels!
Written by Raelene Forster, Georgia’s Mother