Filey woman shares story of Ectopic pregnancy as husband plans charity skydive

Jade Keable first discovered she and her then partner (now husband), Jonathan, were pregnant on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. She said: “I did a pregnancy test and there it was, a very faint second line!

“We had a week of excitement knowing we were having a little baby.

“We still didn't quite believe it, so I kept doing pregnancy tests just to check this was actually happening and that very faint line began to get darker!”

The excitement soon subsided. On Sunday, September 3, Jade found herself to be in pain, and had begun to bleed, by Wednesday, September 6, the bleeding had worsened and Jade went straight to hospital.

Jade said: “They asked how far along I was, and I explained I wasn't sure as I hadn't had a menstrual cycle since June.

“They then said that they would go from my last cycle which would have made me 12 weeks pregnant.

“They did a scan and couldn't see the baby, then they did my bloods and the HCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) hormone was high.

“We had to wait 48 hours to come back and do another blood test to see if it was rising, which meant everything would be ok.

“If it wasn't rising it would mean miscarriage.

“If it stayed at the same level it would be an ectopic pregnancy.

“Waiting to find out what was happening was unbearable, we just wanted to know.”

A follow up scan on Friday, September 8 still showed no sign of the baby, but another blood test showed that Jade’s hormone levels were rising – the couple were definitely expecting.

Jade said: “The pains and bleeding were getting worse, and I also felt very bloated and nauseous.

“I thought this could be just side effects from being pregnant, but I also had a feeling something wasn't right."

Jade returned to hospital on Tuesday, September 12 for another scan and had more bloods taken, the scan still showed no sign of the baby, and Jade was asked to return in 48 hours.

However, in the early hours of September 13, Jade woke in such excruciating pain that Jonathan put her straight in the car and rushed her to hospital.

More blood samples were taken along with a urine sample and Jade was given pain relief and settled into a bed in the A&E department.

At 2pm she was sent for a scan to rule out suspected appendicitis, and with her appendix given the all clear, a second scan was performed to see if the baby could be located.

Jade said: “My left ovary was enlarged, she looked to my right ovary, that was also enlarged (PCOS - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome).

“There was also a small round ball just under my right ovary in my fallopian tube.”

Jade’s heart dropped as the nursing staff asked: “Have you got someone here with you today?” and then said the words she will never forget: “It's an ectopic pregnancy.”

Jade was speechless. She returned to her bed in A&E, told her mum, who had sat with her while Jonathan was at work, what the scan had shown, and then had to tell her husband-to-be. “I will never forget that phone call,” she said.

“I was numb. I didn't know what was happening apart from I was having surgery to remove the baby and my fallopian tube as it had begun to rupture, I also had internal bleeding.

“The sister from the baby unit who had been doing my bloods and seeing me when I came into hospital came to seeme. She gave me a leaflet and a little memory box and she sat and spent time talking with me and my partner.

Jade was then allowed to go home with a 10-day course of antibiotics and injections, and she also had to spend four weeks resting.

“No one can help you prepare for the recovery physically and emotionally,” she said.

“I'm so thankful to everyone at the hospital, my family, friends and work colleagues, and especially for Jonathan, I’m so grateful to have had him by my side every step of the way.”

Jonathan is now planning to do a skydive in September for The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust to help raise vital support for those affected and awareness of the condition.

To show your support visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jade-keable-1