My first high risk pregnancy was in 2018. I was first diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia at the time, I was 24 weeks pregnant with twins.
To cut a long story short, to provide the best chance for my babies, they needed to arrive quickly, and I was required to have a classical caesarean section for their birth.
The twins arrived very prematurely at 24+5 weeks gestation.
Charlotte and Anthony were born, weighing 698gms and 570gms respectively and went straight to NICU.
Charlotte came home at 4 months old on oxygen, but otherwise well. Anthony, unfortunately, lost his battle with severe chronic lung disease at 8 months old. He never came home from the NICU.
It was within a Facebook mum’s group that I first heard of Dr Lionel Steinberg. He was recommended to me by other mums in the group as a doctor for women with high-risk pregnancies, everyone was referring to him as ‘vaginal Lionel’.
I’d been to see other doctors and each of them had told me to not have any more children (due to my classical caesarean cut).
I made an appointment to discuss the risks of a future pregnancy with Dr Steinberg. I knew I was considered a high-risk pregnancy and my chances of pre-eclampsia impacting any future pregnancies, but I wanted to be fully informed about my options.
Once I spoke with Dr Steinberg I felt confident in my decision to go ahead and get pregnant. He told me the risks, of course, but was also optimistic. The appointment that day had changed my mindset completely.
We fell pregnant with our newest princess Macey in January of 2020 and of course, we were filled with anxiety after the journey we had so far. Lionel monitored me VERY closely and we made it to 33 weeks before pre-eclampsia took hold again and I couldn’t keep going.
Macey was born via emergency caesarean at 33+1 (the night before her brothers one year death anniversary, which is so significant to us) and went to St Vincent’s Private Hospital Special Care Nursery. Macey weighed a tiny 1.7kg! She was only there for 2 weeks before she was able to come home. She is a legend!
Our hearts are so full. Macey is receiving a lot of cuddles and kisses from her big sister!
Managing a high-risk pregnancy can be stressful for everyone involved. During Macey’s pregnancy, I received so much support, genuine care and respect from everyone involved in my care, particularly during my most vulnerable moments. The support and guidance gave me the confidence to complete my family and I will forever be grateful.
Charlotte and Macey will grow up knowing how special they are as preemie babies and have their own guardian Angel named Anthony.
