A mum with low ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ ꜰʟᴜɪᴅ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ʙɪʀᴛʜ to her miracle baby. When Hollie Wallis was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with her third ᴄʜɪʟᴅ – she was over the ᴍᴏᴏɴ. But as the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ progressed , the mother-of-two got a sʜᴏᴄᴋ diagnosis.
It was hard for Hollie Wallis to believe her eyes when her ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴇsᴛ kit appeared ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴠᴇ. This was because she’d had a couple of sᴜʀɢᴇʀɪᴇs in the previous year to ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇ ᴀ ʟᴀʀɢᴇ ᴍᴀss from her ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs so she didn’t expect to get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ again. She was blessed with 2 boys from a previous relationship but her husband didn’t have any children, which was why she was ᴇᴄsᴛᴀᴛɪᴄ at the news. However, she had spent $50 on ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴇsᴛs just to confirm, all of which showed the same hopeful results. At first, everything went pretty smoothly and the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ was no different than her earlier ones. That was until she went to the ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ to get an ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ, when the ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ couldn’t detect any ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ ꜰʟᴜɪᴅ . This was very ᴡᴏʀʀɪsᴏᴍᴇ because it’s this ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ʟɪǫᴜɪᴅ that serves as a ᴄᴜsʜɪᴏɴ for the growing fetus. Hollie’s ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ sᴀɴᴋ.
She was diagnosed with oligohydramnios, which is a condition where there’s a low level of ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ ꜰʟᴜɪᴅ during ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ. On the second ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ, to her relief, they were able to find ꜰʟᴜɪᴅ ᴘᴏᴄᴋᴇᴛs and the baby appeared healthy on the monitor. She was booked to go to the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ the following Monday. But when she woke up on Sunday morning, she felt like something was off and rushed to the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ.
She said: “I was diagnosed with Oligohydramnios. Before this ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ I had never even heard of it and had absolutely no idea how serious it was. I left the OB’s office and went immediately to the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ and they ran a bunch of ᴛᴇsᴛs and I had another ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ. The second ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ showed that I did have very low ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ ꜰʟᴜɪᴅ , but they were able to locate some ꜰʟᴜɪᴅ ᴘᴏᴄᴋᴇᴛs which was such a relief. The baby was moving but the movements felt different, like they were slower. To this day I can’t explain it. I put it down to mother’s ɪɴᴛᴜɪᴛɪᴏɴ. I just knew I had to go to the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ ᴜʀɢᴇɴᴛʟʏ. I wanted to be excited about meeting my baby, but I was so ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ.”
Yet despite the ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴘʀᴏɢɴᴏsɪs, a few days later something did not feel right. The next few hours were ᴇxᴄʀᴜᴄɪᴀᴛɪɴɢ for Hollie. She was told that her baby had the possibility of being ʙʀᴀɪɴ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ and that she had to have an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ before her ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ rate dropped anymore. Hollie was right to trust her motherly instinct because it was an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ situation. She had to undergo a ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ immediately. Without even having the chance to talk to her husband, Hollie was wheeled off to the ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʀᴏᴏᴍ once the paperwork was signed and she was told of the ʀɪsᴋs of having a ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. Just imagine how sᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ she must have been, especially since this would be her first experience with this type of birth.
She added: “I laid on the ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴀʙʟᴇ as the OB ᴘᴇʀꜰᴏʀᴍᴇᴅ my ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ and I remember thinking, ‘Please be okay, little one, please.’ My husband was still out in the waiting room with our children and had no idea I was even in sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ.” Hollie named her bundle of joy Winter Josephine and as soon as she cradled her in her arms, she couldn’t help but laugh. “As perfect as she was, I couldn’t help but laugh because she looked so ᴀɴɢʀʏ. If I had to guess what she was thinking at that very point in time, it would have been, ‘I was comfortable in there. Put me back!’ Everyone that saw her said the exact same thing. ‘She looks sᴏ ᴍᴀᴅ!’ When my husband and sons came in to meet her, she just stared at them with ᴛᴇɴsᴇᴅ eyebrows that showed she was incredibly inconvenienced by us.”
Now every time Hollie looks at her little ᴀɴɢʀʏ ꜰᴀᴄᴇ, she thinks about how close she was to not having her and how so thankful she is that Winter is healthy and strong. She continues to make the ᴀɴɢʀɪᴇsᴛ ꜰᴀᴄᴇs and they are absolutely hilarious. I have never met a baby with more personality. Her facial expressions bring us so much joy and laughter. She’s so expressive and she is truly a miracle. She wanted to be here, and I am so thankful that I listened to my instincts and went to the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ because I don’t think she would have lasted another day and neither did the ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs. A baby born with no ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ ꜰʟᴜɪᴅ can be an indicator of all kinds of health issues including ᴋɪᴅɴᴇʏ ꜰᴀɪʟᴜʀᴇ, ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ ꜰᴀɪʟᴜʀᴇ, ʙɪʀᴛʜ ᴅᴇꜰᴇᴄᴛs and even sᴛɪʟʟʙɪʀᴛʜ. It’s amazing she sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇᴅ, but even more amazing that she was perfectly healthy.
