If it wasn't for Tommy's and the PRISM trial, I wouldn't have Freddie

My rainbow baby Freddie was my 5th pregnancy after 1 ectopic and 3 missed miscarriages. I basically spent the last 2 years pregnant – if it wasn't for Tommy's and the PRISM trials I wouldn't have Freddie.

I first fell pregnant in 2019

It all started 2019, we had been trying for maybe a year when finally the day came. The stick said positive, we were over the moon!

I was about 6 weeks and I began spotting. I called my GP who did a pregnancy test and said it was normal and sent me home.

That same night, around 4am I felt a pain like I had been stabbed. Instantly, I knew my baby wasn't OK. 111 advised me to go into A&E, after 2 days in it was confirmed – an ectopic pregnancy.

I chose not to have medical treatment and to let my body deal with it naturally, which meant going back for blood tests every 48 hours. After a month, physically, I was normal again.

Mentally, it was tough

To say we were devastated would be an understatement. Approximately 9 months later we found out we were pregnant again, again at 6 weeks I began spotting, a scan confirmed a missed miscarriage.

Over the following 6 months I had another 2 losses. All this happened during the pandemic so Chay, my partner, wasn’t allowed in with me.

I saw all the empty scans alone

It was then that my GP referred me to the recurrent miscarriage unit at the Royal Derby Hospital.

They told me about the PRISM trial and said they would be keen to start me on Cyclogest (progesterone) when I fell pregnant again.

Little did I know it would be 3 weeks after the last loss. I started the Cyclogest and took aspirin daily. I was booked in for an early scan at 8 weeks and there was a strong heartbeat. I had Cyclogest until around 14 weeks.

At 28 weeks, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It was tough having tablets and insulin but I didn’t mind – I was getting my rainbow baby. Due to the diabetes baby growth began to slow, so I was induced at 39+1 weeks. After a long labour, my baby boy arrived at 39+2 via an assisted delivery with forceps. He was born at a very healthy weight – 8 lbs 14!

Tommy's was a great support

Through all my losses and my pregnancy I contacted the Tommy’s midwife team via email very regularly. The team helped me though all my questions and worries, and were so kind and reassuring to me. I had fear and anxiety constantly. Even when he was born I still thought I would lose him. It still hasn't really sunk in and he's almost 5 months old. 

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