Born at 25 weeks weighing just 1lb 10oz, baby Emmie made it home in time to celebrate her first birthday.
Vanessa Lewis, 30, and Matthew Lewis, 37, from Cwmbran in South Wales, were expecting to welcome their little girl Emmie on 27 November but their daughter had different plans.
The couple are so excited to be expecting after their miscarriage last year, and everything seems to be on the mend. After experiencing spotting at 24 weeks, Vanessa went into triage and was told everything was fine. But he soon discovers that things are not going as smoothly as he thought.
“We were told that Emmie’s heartbeat was perfect and there were no worries”, he explained.
“However on further examination I was told that I was actually 4cm dilated and my water had ruptured so I needed to be given steroids immediately and taken to the HDU (the High Dependency Unit) as she could be delivered at any time”.
Born at 25 weeks weighing 1lb 10oz
Within days, on August 15, Emmie was born. He had to be intubated immediately and wrapped in plastic to keep him warm. No skin-to-skin contact was possible, but luckily his parents were able to hold him briefly before placing him in an incubator. A few hours later, they were able to visit their little daughter in the NICU (Neonatal Care Unit).
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“Spending hours and hours in the hospital while Emmie was in the NICU was hard”, her Mom recalls.
“Although we know he is there because he needs a little extra help, it is not a normal situation to be with a newborn”.
Involve yourself as much as possible in the baby’s care
“Bringing a little person into this world is a big deal in itself. But when you find yourself with a prem baby that you can’t take home at the end of each day and you see other families who -bringing their babies home is difficult”.
For Emmie’s Mom, it’s important to be involved in her baby’s care as much as possible.
“We were still able to help with so many things like changing diapers, feeding through the feeding tube, taking her temperature, washing and changing her clothes when she’s old enough to wear clothes!”
“Although all the pipes and wires are scary, don’t let it get you down. Babies are important but they are also very strong”, Vanessa explained.
Overcoming all the expectations, Emmie had her first birthday in August
Surpassing all expectations, the little fighter gained weight and, over time, needed less support.
“When they first took her off her breathing support, that was a big moment for us.”
After 82 days in the hospital, the girl was able to return to her home and even though she was born prematurely, she made it home for her birthday.
“We just want to thank all the midwives, neonatal nurses, consultants and other staff members at Grange Hospital”, her parents added.
Right To Life UK spokeswoman Catherine Robinson said “At 25 weeks, Emmie was born just one week after the abortion limit. We can rightly celebrate her small victory but it remains very sad that these tiny babies who like her could have been aborted just a week earlier.”
LifeNews Note: Republished with permission from Right to Life UK.
