Sophie Blake: 'I lied about my due date to avoid judgement and pity.'

At her 20-week scan, mum-to-be Sophie Blake found out that she had a condition called placenta previa. She then decided to stop telling people the truth about her due date.

In an Instagram post, Blake, who is sister to Melbourne comedian Hamish Blake, explained that when she heard this news at her 20-week scan, with her husband Andy by her side, she was no longer able to hear anything else the scan technician was telling her about her baby.

“Instead [I] became OBSESSED with the position of my placenta,” she wrote.

“Our scan technician was very kind and reassuring, educating us that PP is quite common – about three per cent of all pregnancies are diagnosed with placenta previa at 20 weeks, and of that three per cent, 95 per cent of the time the uterus grows so much that by 32 weeks the placenta has lifted and a vaginal birth is possible if that’s what you want to choose.”

According to Better Health Victoria, placenta previa occurs when the placenta is implanted at the bottom of the uterus or over the cervix. It often means the baby cannot be born vaginally.

A post shared by Sophie Blake (Hall) (@yogawithsophie) on Oct 31, 2017 at 12:49pm PDT

The placenta provides the growing baby with oxygen and nutrients during pregnancy. In some cases, placenta previa can cause health risks for the baby, if they’re not receiving enough oxygen and nutrients through the placenta.

However as Blake explained in her post, they were the five per cent and a surgical delivery would be their only option.

Blake said she left the appointment in tears both because she was worried about the baby’s health and because she was ashamed she wouldn’t be able to deliver her baby vaginally.

“I remember asking Andy, barely able to get the question out of my mouth: ‘Does it make me less of a women if I don’t go into labour and deliver our baby vaginally?'” she wrote.

A post shared by Sophie Blake (Hall) (@yogawithsophie) on Oct 30, 2017 at 7:11pm PDT

“He was LIGHTNING QUICK to reassure me that that was a bullshit thought and that the 24 hour period known as our baby’s birthday has NOTHING to do with my worth as a woman.

“He told me it’s all the hours before that day, and all the hours that follow that day that will define me as a woman and a mother, and that I was already doing a terrific job!”

That’s when Blake stopped telling people the truth about her due date.

“What I used to say was ‘I’m due November 14, but I’m delivering on November 1 via elective caesarian’ (yup… that’s TODAY!) because when I said it like that it was instantly met with either pity or judgement,” she wrote.

She also said some people judged her as if she was taking the “easy way out” or was “too posh to push”.

Blake said she was now choosing to celebrate her choice.

A post shared by Sophie Blake (Hall) (@yogawithsophie) on Nov 1, 2017 at 12:06am PDT

“I feel SO PROUD of myself!!! I’m proud that I have done everything in my power to listen to my body and to try to give my baby a safe place to grow – and whether it’s down to something I’ve done, or sheer dumb luck or a combination of both.. I’ve managed to carry this babe full term!!!” she wrote.

“I’m also proud of myself that I am saying yes to a medically required caesarian because it means I am willing to undergo major surgery to ensure the health of my baby. I am proud of myself because I am being brave.”

Listen: Tiffiny Hall describes her difficult pregnancy and birth. (Post continues…)

Thankfully, the pregnancy and birth went smoothly for Blake and little Angus Donald Hall was born on Thursday via c-section.

“He is heaven. I’ve never felt so much love and peace and joy. He’s more amazing than anything I could have possibly dreamed up and Andy and I are both over the moon!!” Blake wrote on Instagram.

We’re sending big congrats to Sophie and Andy and all the family.