By Daphne Paris

Sofia woke me at 4am, kicking and stretching, making my belly contort. “Good girl”, I thought, reassured. I’d been on bed rest for four weeks in hospital after my water broke 23 weeks into my third pregnancy. The complications were unexpected as my first two pregnancies had been normal. But this time after heavy bleeding for 3 months, I’d lost all my amniotic fluid and my uterus had subsequently shrunk, pressing down onto my unborn baby so I no longer even looked pregnant. Her strong movements reassured me that she was doing ok, more so than the endless monitoring, and I relaxed.