Miracle Mumma
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I am STRONG, I am a NICU MUM
Today, on World Prematurity Day, I stand united with this group of fierce warriors to embrace, celebrate and raise awareness of the one in 10 babies born too soon. I have endured the turmoil of having a premature baby. I have spent countless hours watching my baby fight to survive. I have cried endless tears and I have uttered desperate prayers. I have left the hospital with empty arms and an empty heart. I have grieved and I have lost, but I have never given up hope. My baby is my reminder to be grateful every single day; my proof that miracles exist. And while my experience is individually unique, I am forever a part of something truly special - a community built on strength, pride, solidarity, and love. Today, I move forward with my head held high and a strength that cannot be denied; I have been through the storm and survived.
I am STRONG, I am a NICU MUM.
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The story of 26 Weeker Miracle Elodie
At 24+5 weeks I went into birth unit after not being able to feel movements for 28 hours. I had a urine test done, bloods & heart doppler check. My blood pressure was through the roof and I had 3 times the amount of protein in my urine. They decided that they had no choice but to diagnose me with severe early onset pre eclampsia. However, by this stage, it was too late and not even the blood pressure medication was working. -
Premmie isolation during winter is NO JOKE
Premmie isolation during winter is no joke. Believe it or not, we don’t stay home during winter and send ourselves stir crazy for the fun of it. But here ARE some fun facts for you: Your 'little cold' could seriously harm a premature child or newborn. Your cough that you think is no longer contagious could actually be deadly. Despite your misguided assumptions, it is not important to expose these little beings to germs when their immune system is virtually non-existent. So...when we politely decline a catch up (even if it’s ‘just a cold’), we’re actually not trying to be rude. When we put signs on our pram asking you 'please don't touch', we're actually not trying to be dramatic. We’re not being over-cautious or unreasonable, we are being cautious and reasonable. We understand that some things are unavoidable, but we’re just trying to keep our babies safe…and alive. But please, feel free roll your eyes and judge us, because despite what you may think, it actually won't make us risk the safety of our child. And if you’re still not convinced, please read this story: -
"We are so incredibly lucky" : The Story of Billie-Rose
I’ve wanted to share our story for a while now, I just didn’t know how. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to relive everything my partner and I have been through, not to mention my daughter. It was by far the hardest thing we have ever been through, but it has made us stronger and who we are today. I wanted to share our story because I think it is important to raise awareness for prematurity, as it is the number one cause of deaths in infants under 5. Now that’s a scary fact. 1 in 10 babies are born premature. And even less than 1% are born before 27 weeks, making my daughter even more of a little miracle to our family. -
The Story of Mini Miracle, Eloise
On the 20th of December at 29 weeks and 2 days I left home at 10:30am to go to a routine appointment with my obstetrician. I had no idea as I left home that morning that I wouldn’t return for 5 days and that when I did I would be a mother. I arrived at my obstetrician’s and the nurse took my blood pressure. Once. Twice. It was high but she said it was no cause for concern yet, she would get the doctor to take it again a bit later as women often get a bit anxious when they first arrive at the rooms and it sends their blood pressure up a little...
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"All we had was hope" : the story of 23 weeker twins
I had a nightmare pregnancy having found out that my last egg had split in 2. My membranes ruptured around Twin 2 at 17 weeks. We were given a 5% survival rate & even then with severe disability. All we had was a wing & a prayer. We were told that we would lose the boys because the risk of infection was so great that there was no way we’d make it to 24 weeks which was considered minimum viable age for twins. I made it to 23 weeks exactly. -
My story of Placenta Previa, Pre-eclampsia and Premature birth (and why it’s important to follow your gut)
Giving birth to your baby should be the best day of your life, right? It should be filled with joy and tears of happiness, not sadness. The day I gave birth to our son was not the best day of my life, but one of the worst. This is my story of placenta previa, pre-eclampsia and premature birth, and my plea to other Mumma’s to always follow your gut. -
Amilia Love Cairns
I was filling out my forms and went to hand them in but before I could even do that they asked me to come through rather promptly. Nick and I were nervous as hell. We even spoke about names on the way in, just in case. I sat on the bed and 2 nurses came in. One got the fetal doppler on my belly with nothing, no heartbeat. She tried again, at this moment I started crying; I knew our precious baby was gone. -
“There is nothing we can do”: The Story of Baby Saige
Jemma was just 24 weeks & 2 days pregnant when she started cramping and feeling nauseous. She felt a leakage of fluids whilst in the shower and noticed a mucous discharge on her towel when she dried off. She knew something wasn’t right and was concerned, but had peace of mind knowing that she already had an appointment with her midwives that morning. At the appointment, the doctor performed an internal swab to check for the presence of amniotic fluid. This test was meant to give a result within 5 minutes, but it appeared it hadn’t worked. After 20 minutes, the test eventually came back negative and the doctors felt confident to let Jemma go home with a diagnosis of possible Braxton Hicks. A friend of Jemma’s came over to be with her and was concerned when the pain worsened. Jemma knew “it didn’t feel right”, but kept blowing it off – she had already been given the all clear. Jemma’s friend convinced her to go and get her Mum, who then decided to take her back to the hospital. Jemma went to get some things and threw up on herself, and not long after, she went to the toilet but was unable to get back up. The pain was unbearable. -
“The fear of history repeating itself was always in the back of my mind”: The story of Rainbow Baby Isobel
WARNING: this article contains content and images that some readers may find distressing and may trigger previous trauma
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Sophie has a didelphic (double) uterus which was discovered during her first pregnancy. A didelphic uterus is similar to a bicornuate (heart shaped) uterus which generally has positive outcomes for pregnancy, so she was treated like a normal patient. However, at just 23 weeks pregnant, Sophie started having back pain which progressively worsened throughout the day. At 8pm, Sophie and her husband Chris decided to go to the hospital to check everything was ok. When they arrived, the resident was asking her routine questions such as what she had been eating that day, and it wasn’t clear what was actually happening until the on-call obstetrician arrived. When the doctors performed an internal exam to check for amniotic fluid, Sophie’s waters broke...
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“He is more likely to pass away than live”: the story of baby Ledger
Hannah’s pregnancy started out perfectly. She was nervous but extremely excited to be carrying her first baby and never expected any complications. But at just 10 weeks’ gestation, Hannah started bleeding and rushed herself to the hospital. She was seen immediately, had a quick ultrasound which showed a healthy baby, and was sent home with a diagnosis of implantation bleeding. From that moment until 22 weeks’ gestation, she was in and out of hospital weekly with issues and was continually told her discomfort and bleeding was normal and to go home. But at just 22 weeks, Hannah experienced a pre-term premature rupture of membranes (PPROM).
