Two. First Signs.

We got pregnant, in March 2017. Everything was going smoothly, 12 week scans complete, tests complete, life was textbook. 

On our 20-week anomaly scan, we were advised that one of our babies' kidneys had not developed properly and had formed as a cystic kidney (Cystic Kidney Dysplasia). Kidney issues are a common anomaly problem with babies, but as we have two, it often doesn’t affect our way of life. It’s also something that ultrasounds never used to be able to see, we’ve advanced in technology over the years so how we’re scanned is different. We’re advised everything should be fine and that baby will just need some outpatient appointments when born. 

We were then a consultant-led pregnancy under the amazing foetal medicine centre at The Liverpool Women’s Hospital. It’s here where we would continue to be monitored every 4 weeks to ensure that the kidneys behaved how they expected. Before I go into what then followed, I’d like to recognise Prof Zarko Alfirevic, he was unbelievable throughout and then led my next pregnancy with Millie, he was blunt with me when he needed, and he put his arm around me when I needed it.