Meadow's Story, 23 Weeks
Miracle Mum Gayley shares Meadow's story.
"Our story begun after five years of IVF. We were told we would need an donor egg; we gained only 1 egg, which luckily took. Being over the moon doesn't cut it when describing how we felt.
However, there seemed to be bleeding and complications through most of my pregnancy. Then, at 21 weeks my waters broke due to an infection. I was put on an emergency flight and flown 6 hours from home. It was extremely scary! I was told that I would have to get to 23 weeks before anything could be done for our girl. My partner and I stayed in hospital and hoped we would get there. It was two long, hard, and emotinal weeks!
Then at 23+3 weeks (Boxing Day) my infection returned and I was rushed into an emergency c-section. Fear was racing through me as our lil' girl came into the world; then we heard the world's smallest cry and we had some hope. I didnt get to see our Meadow until the next day. She was so beautiful but so small, only weighing 439gms; the smallest baby they had delivered at that time. But our lil fighter was hanging in!
We had three bouts of sepsis, a blood transfusion bursting into her leg, and many other complications as well as constant bradys. We stayed on tube vent for what felt like forever! But lil Meadow surpassed all the doctors expectations and eventually moved to cpap and then highflow, then nothing!
I stayed at Ronald McDonald House so I was with her every day of the roller coaster that is NICU. I watched her grow, sitting by her humidicrib holding her hand and getting daily kangaroo cuddles. After 5 long months our lil miracle came home with no complications other than a feeding tube (which she had for 3 months).
She is now a tiny but mighty 18 month old with no lasting effects of her prematurity. I thank the heroes in the NICU everyday for giving us our baby, and also caring for us like we were family. We are forever grateful to them and the Ronald McDonald crew."
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