#029 Kirsty - First Australian to give birth after uterus transplant, MGP, brow presentation, life saving hysterectomy, IVF, elective c-section

Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation with the incredible Kirsty, Australia’s first woman to receive a uterus transplant and subsequently fall pregnant. This is a story of hope for women out there who have had to have a hysterectomy or were born with a genetic defect meaning that they can’t carry a pregnancy.  In this episode we chat all about  ✔️falling pregnant the first time very quickly but having a miscarriage before conceiving their daughter Violet 2 months later  ✔️going through a midwifery group practice model for her first pregnancy and having a student midwife  ✔️doing a hypnobirthing class not only to educate herself but to also help her husband prepare for birth, being a support partner and learn more about the physiology of birth  ✔️being diagnosed with low PAPP-A protein and having to take a baby aspirin for her first pregnancy  ✔️labour beginning and feeling pain in her back, going into hospital to have saline injections then coming home to continue to labour  ✔️getting to full dilation and pushing but because of baby’s brow presentation, Kirsty felt her pushing wasn’t enough and ended up birthing Violet via C-section ✔️following Violet’s delivery, Kirsty had a severe postpartum haemorrhage, leading her to lose 11L of blood, her body going into Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) and shock and she was placed into an artificial coma for 2 days to help her body recover  ✔️the importance of donating blood and plasma to help anyone who may need blood products at some point, like Kirsty did  ✔️Kirsty’s milk coming in 7 days after her c-section (5 days after she had awoken) ✔️After some difficult beginnings with breastfeeding and topping-up, going to breastfeed Violet for 14 months until Kirsty started IVF treatments  ✔️How Kirsty stumbled upon a clinical trial for a uterus transplant in Australia and became Australia’s first uterus transplant and went on to give birth to her baby boy Henry  ✔️Doing IVF as part of criteria for the clinical trial ✔️Getting a phone call on Christmas’ eve to give Kirsty a date for her uterus transplant surgery, January 10th 2023  ✔️Kirsty’s embryo transfer working on the first go, getting pregnant after the first ever Australian uterus transplant  ✔️Navigating a high risk pregnancy where Kirsty was on anti-rejection medication after her transplant and developed gestational diabetes as a result of being on steroids  ✔️Planning an elective C-section at 37 weeks at the hospital where Kirsty’s transplant happened with her transplant team  ✔️Having both her partner and mum present for the birth of her son Henry  Follow Kirsty on her socials page https://www.instagram.com/myuterustransplantaus/  Link to Kirsty’s transplant and the team at UNSW https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2023/12/kirsty-has-given-birth-to-a-baby-boy--a-year-ago--she-didnt-have  If you want to start donating blood or look into it further https://www.lifeblood.com.au/blood    If you would like some birth trauma support or more information  https://birthtrauma.org.au/  If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula  If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA  This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube  Follow me on social media for more content  Facebook: www.facebook.com/cuppawithadoula  Instagram: www.instagram.com/cuppawithadoula  Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode!  Alicia :)