Sarah Alice – David and Ilona Kuss

In 2003, after 22 years of infertility and two much loved adopted babies, I found that I was pregnant. What joy!! I had an uneventful pregnancy until my membranes ruptured prematurely at 30 weeks. I was flown by air-ambulance to our nearest maternity hospital, 500 kms away in the Western Australian city of Perth. It was expected that I would go into labour within a few days but nothing happened. I had regular ultrasound scans in the weeks to follow which showed my baby girl to be well-grown and healthy. It was decided that I would be closely monitored in case I got an infection but if all went well they would try and get us to at least 32 weeks. As it turned out I didn't go into labour, thank God.

My daughter Sarah was born by caesarean section in April 2004 at 35 weeks, healthy and normal in every way but small. I had been talked into a C section by my obstetrician purely on the basis of my age - I was 42 and Sarah was a miracle baby so they wanted to take no risks. I was extremely reluctant to give up my dream of a natural delivery but after 5 weeks in hospital I was pathetically weak and didn't think I had the strength to go through with it. What a blessing!! As they delivered Sarah the surgeon told us that we were extremely lucky to have a healthy, living baby. Later he explained to us about the velamentous insertion of the cord and vasa previa. He also explained that if I had gone into labour we would almost certainly have lost her due to her bleeding to death. Later he also told us that he had only ever seen this once before, 10 years ago but unfortunately that baby died during delivery.

The sad thing is that they told me there is no way of diagnosing this condition prior to giving birth here in Australia . I had had very extensive ultrasounds done often throughout my pregnancy and they still didn't see it. How tragic!! It made me sick to the stomach when I became informed and realised how close we came to not having Sarah; what the doctor had said hadn't really registered at the time of delivery. Previously I had felt that I was a failure as a woman for giving in to the pressure to deliver by caesarean section because, as I thought at the time, I had no valid medical reason not to deliver naturally. Little did we know!

As I write Sarah is playing at my feet. She has just celebrated her first birthday and has learned to walk in the last few days. Every time I look at her I thank God for that life-saving decision to have a caesarean section.

Thank you.