From this comment we made an immediate connection with Sian and have been fortunate enough to meet with her again to hear the astonishing story of the very early arrival of her daughter five years ago.

As well as enduring an ectopic pregnancy, Sian had sadly previously lost a baby at 19 and 23 weeks due to an incompetent cervix and was just 24 weeks pregnant when she woke early.  Feeling she needed some fresh air she decided to take her dog for a walk and recalls “it was only on zipping up my coat that I realised something was wrong . . . . . . . I’d not been able to zip up my coat for a week or so; I was leaking and now desperately concerned for the health of my unborn baby.  It was 5.30am when I arrived at Milton Keynes hospital; following an examination and bloods I was given steroid injections and bed rest, but results of a very high infection marker later signalled the need for antibiotics and my immediate, blue light, ambulance transfer to Oxford John Radcliffe Hospital (JRH) who would be better equipped to deal with me and my yet unborn baby.

I arrived at John Radcliffe Hospital around 10am.  They were waiting for me.  I was immediately surrounded by medical staff, all actively doing their bit to help stabilise things; delaying the inevitable delivery of my baby was important to ensure the antibiotics being pumped into to me were passed on. Bloods were taken, signing of forms completed and I was prepped for a C-Section; I was told there was “minimal chance of the survival of my baby”.

Eleanor arrived naturally at midnight, so fast she had to be caught!  Four months premature and weighing just 1lb 9oz. Four members of the neonatal team were standing by with an incubator . . . . a lifesaving piece of equipment that would become Eleanor’s home for the next two months.

“She was so very, very, tiny; too fragile to hold – even too fragile to touch.  Her skin was transparent.  Her ears had yet to form.  It was two weeks before I could touch my baby daughter – during this time she received one to one care from one of the wonderfully gentle and caring nurses that rotated as their shifts changed.  For 13 days I dare not sleep; I watched intently every check, every touch, every dose of medication.  I constantly asked questions.  What are you doing? What is that for? What’s happening?

As with all babies, Eleanor’s weight dropped – now she weighted just 1lb 4oz – and whilst I couldn’t feed her myself for some time, I was able to express my milk and remarkably donated 60 litres of breast milk; out of everything that was going on it felt like a small gift I was able to give back.

I was given a hard-backed book and was encouraged to record as much or as little as I wanted; there were good days and bad days of course – some days I wrote nothing, others the list was endless, but it was a record of the precious and often very difficult times I shared with Eleanor in those early months.  It was a place to hold the highs and the lows, the roller coaster of emotions, the joy and the love . . . . the utter miracle that was my baby girl.”

Sian went on to explain that Doctors visited morning, noon and night.  Eleanor wasn’t out of the woods . . . . an injection of something missed her vein at two days old but how could you judge this?  Everything was so very tiny – a vein, minute in size! Due to one of her heart valve’s still being open her body filled with fluid.  She suffered a bleed on the brain.  And on top of everything Sian was told Eleanor suffered from Bradycardia which meant she would forget to breath!  But with shots of caffeine to stimulate and remind her to breath she flourished.

Sian was finally able to hold Eleanor for short periods of time when she was two weeks old – very precious time for mother and baby.  Each day was a milestone and gave Sian more strength and hope.  Eleanor was finally discharged from the care of JRH NICU after eight weeks and after a short period in Milton Keynes Hospital she was finally allowed home.

Eleanor is now a bright, happy and very active five-year-old – she really is a miracle and a testament to the continual research into the incredibly complex and emotionally charged subject of premature birth, the ongoing development of specialist equipment and the exceptional care and skills of the medical teams at JRH NICU and at Milton Keynes Hospital, notwithstanding the hope, strength and unfaltering love of Sian and her family.

“I cannot fault the expertise and unwavering care given by the team at JRH NICU – they saved EIeanor’s life and I will be forever in their debt and eternally grateful.”

Sian perry