Mother & Baby Feature

August Edition 2014

Last Month I was in contact with Mother & Baby magazine, about doing an article and telling my story of surviving Placenta Previa & Percreta, for a number of reasons.

1. To Share awareness of the condition,

2. The risk factors, 

3. Encouraging women to think twice about an unnecessary c-section, and 

4. To help find more survivors and those currently pregnant with the condition.

Today My story can out in print! 

So the story is a very shortened version of my story, as of course there is a word count limit, but hopefully it will create some good exposure for the condition and the Hope for Accreta Foundation.

Since Surviving, I have in many ways made it my mission to help other women avoid it, and support those that have it.

Being pregnant is meant to be one the of most joyous times of  a women's life, but with a pregnancy condition, it can be one of the most stress times in her life.  For me that was the case. I love having children, and would do it all again for my blessings. However there is something to be said about living with fear and worry, "Will my baby survive?", "Will I survive?", "Will this be the day that is all falls apart?".  All are thoughts that are very real, it isn't a pretend fear that you can just shrug off.

While all those fears subside when you hold your precious baby, for some that moment never comes. Even when it does come, the stress, anxiety, and worry can effect the rest of your life for some time. Many women with the condition will go on to suffer PND, or PTSD. Both of which can effect the joy and the way in which you interact with you baby, and with your old life.

I am very thankful for the support of many people, and good friends that helped us get through. With out good friends to be listening ears, a shoulder to cry on, and ready and willing to give a helping hand, I'm not sure how we would have made it through.

I am however very glad we did, and we can now work towards helping make a difference for others.
Don't forget to get your copy of Mother & Baby and check out the article.

Marcella's First Birthday

Well the milestone of the first birthday has been reached. If you haven't read the story of Marcella's Birth you can here. Wow, what an emotional day. Due to an incident the night before, where I was left feeling unsupported, not by friends by an organisation. I was already very emotional, and puffy from crying. So it was a challenge for me for the day to pull myself together so that I could be in the present, and enjoy and celebrate being on the other side.

I had great plans for the day, we first went  to a Life's Little Treasures playgroup, which happened to fall on the day, and chat with other prem mum's. Which we did and it was great and really helped to settle my emotions.

Marcella and the other children all had a great time.

So dressed in her Hope for Accreta shirt, we then went on to deliver our thank you cards that I had made up for the occasion.  So we first posted and hand delivered some of our cards to friends that helped up get through this traumatic event.


We then went on to the hospital to deliver our cards to the Doctors, Nurses, Midwives, Chaplains, NICU Doctors and Nurses, and everyone involved in helping to keep me here, or making the journey that much easier.

There were a few tears, especially when I saw one of the NICU Nurses that help with Marcella's care. She would sit with me for hours to try and help me get milk, and deliver the bond between me and my baby.  SO it was a very special day.  I also want to thank all of you out there that have supported us with Pray, Encouragements, Practical help and Support.  Thank you for helping make the journey a little easier.

Here is a few photo's from the day.

Loving Cake!

Enjoying some Story time at LLT

Goodbye Intensive Care

Saying thank you to the Chaplains 

The Last time I will be in the NICU

A gift for the NICU, hopefully will bless some Mum's to come. 

Saying Goodbye to the Hospital

What a difference a year can make.

We are all really thankful that we have made it this far.  Thank you all.

I am an overcomer

I am an overcomer!

I'm going the America......with help

If you have followed the journey of my last pregnancy you would know that I had Placenta Previa and Precreta, the worst form of a pregnancy condition called Accreta. If you missed it you can read my full story here. Since that pregnancy I have been working the American Chapter of the Hope for Accreta Foundation to create an Australian Chapter, and awareness about the condition.

You can read the full story for this image here.  This was my first media related article with a few more to come.

Why am I doing this? After going through all the trauma that I have experienced I want to make a difference for other women that are currently going through this and those that are to come. This condition is one that was once very rare, but becoming much more common with the raising rates of C-sections, abortions, D&C, endometriosis, uterine scarring and some types of contraception.

I want to make women aware of the risks so that they can then make educated decisions about their birth choices, contraception, birthing support, as well as be their own advocates if they do have risk factors.

Diagnosis is a really important part of creating great outcomes for both mother and baby in accreta pregnancies. If doctors go into delivery expecting to find accreta, there are many many things that can be planned to help reduce blood loss, create a stable environment, and so on.

In doing this I have become the President of the Australian Chapter of the Hope for Accreta foundation and planning to go the very first Hope for Accreta conference in Tennessee, USA, in November this year. To be able to do this, I need to raise money to help me go.  I have started a mycause page to help me with that.

My goal in going to the conference is the met other survivors but also to learn as much as I can able the condition, the lastest treatments from the best in the field and bring that information back to Australia to help local family.

If you would like to donate to my cause please do so. Every little bit helps.

I'm also holding a facebook auction to help raise funds to get there. You can join in that auction by following this link.  I have been donated some awesome products for the auctions so don't miss out.

Many Blessings
Christina