Have you Experienced Difficulties In Life?

In April 2007 I was pregnant and looking forward to having my baby boy. I was 36 weeks pregnant when my midwife found I had high blood pressure and protein in my urine. She sent to hospital for testing. Nothing looked wrong so she sent me for a scan. The scanner acted really strangely and got another scanner in to see my scan. She said that my baby had fluid around his head and I asked her what was wrong. She said it could be one of one hundred different things. I went to speak to the midwife called Rachel and she told me that my baby had spina bifida and hydrocephalus. She didn't know if my baby would be compatible with life. She got me an appointment for 0930 the next day. So I went to see the fetal medicine expert and he scanned me confirming the diagnoses. I went in a room with him, another expert and a midwife. In the morning He offered me an abortion at 36 weeks pregnancy and I said no way. In the afternoon I was given a tour of the special care baby unit where I saw premature babies and ill babies. It was very upsetting to see the amount of suffering. I was given a tour of the birthing rooms. I said that I would still have my home birth. It was difficult to get people to agree to my home birth but I got my midwife to understand my need to do that. In May 2007 I had my home birth and my labor lasted two and a half hours. My baby boy went to hospital and stayed just over three weeks in the special care baby unit. He had an operation to close the hole in his back and another operation to put a shunt in his head. He is now two and half years old. He needs catheter care and he is unable to walk.