I had to write goodbye notes to my kids after ‘pregnancy headaches’ were much more sinister

A MUM-of-two wrote goodbye letters to her children, after finding out her "pregnancy headaches" were much more sinister.

Dominique Nicholson thought the aches and pains just came with the territory when expecting a baby.

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But the then 30-year-old was given shocking news just weeks after the birth of her second child.

She had been having headaches throughout and then after her pregnancy - with doctors initially thinking the mum had an enlarged blood vessel.

But weeks after giving birth they discovered she had a brain tumour.

Dominique said: “When the doctor explained it was a mass on the brain, I was in shock and very scared.

“My first thought was my girls. I had to see my daughters grow up."

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The mum, from Bagworth, near Coalville, said she hadn't been worried initially, thinking it was normal in pregnancy.

She explained: “I had headaches when I was pregnant with my first daughter, Freya.

“So when I had headaches with Erin, I wasn’t concerned, I assumed it was a mix of the stress of having a young child, working, being pregnant and generally tired.

“I mentioned my headaches to my midwife around five times, but she agreed there was no cause for concern and I assumed once I had given birth they would ease.”

When the headaches not only continued, but got worse, Dominique noticed she was feeling sick with pain behind her eyes.

Doctors then told her she had a grade II meningioma - a mass on her brain that would need surgery.

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She said: “I spent a lot of time sobbing in hospital.

“I needed to put things in place, so I wrote letters, arranged godparents and thought about things to help David if something went wrong in surgery."

Luckily the craniotomy was a success, removing around 97 and 99 per cent of the tumour.

It has left a huge scar running from the middle of her forehead to her ear, but the mum says she is just happy to be ok.

“I am very lucky to have been treated so quickly and I don’t like to think about what could have happened if I didn’t.

She added: “I want to warn everyone – but especially mums and expectant mums not to put their own health last.

“You know your own body and what is normal and if something isn’t right push for answers.

“My headaches were ongoing, I felt sick and I was forgetting things.

“If that sounds like you, please go to your doctor.”

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Symptoms of a brain tumour depend on its severity and which part of the brain is affected, according to the NHS.

However, there are common signs that people can look out for if they are worried.

These include severe, non-stop headaches, seizures as well as nausea, vomiting and drowsiness.

Other signs can include vision or speech problems, paralysis and even changes to a person's behaviour such as having difficulty remembering things.

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These symptoms can appear suddenly or develop slowly over time.

It is always worth speaking to a doctor if you are concerned.