As told by mum, Katie
For about 2 weeks before the birth I had been having some pains, until it got unbearable late at night of 16th February 2024. At 2am the next morning I went to the hospital to get checked and I was all cleared to go back home with medication to get some sleep before the big known and unknown weekend.
On 17th of February at 1230pm, my now husband and I said our “I do’s” and it was time to celebrate. Just after starting the reception the unbearable pains had started up again and no medication could help.
Then after 4 hours not seen by anyone in our home city emergency room……..
On the 18th of February at 0021am, Daisy was born, 26+1 weeks gestation, 870 grams, 32 cm.
My husband and Daughter flew down to the Wellington Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, while I flew down the next morning.
We spent 10 weeks in Wellington NICU and during our stay Daisy had 2 surgeries. The first one was at only 2 days old due to having a hole in her bowel.
At the time the hole was too big to fix then and there, so she got a stoma bag put in.
After 1 week dad, mum and Daisy got our first cuddles, a feeling we wouldn’t forget.
For the next 6 weeks she did amazing. She was growing, learning to breathe (thanks to nurse Sophie who helped and encouraged her), enjoying kangaroo cuddles, wearing clothes, enjoying getting books read to her by dad and being supported.
After hitting 2 kgs, she got her 2nd surgery to reverse the stoma. The next 2 weeks were the hardest. Due to all the morphine, she had stopped breathing and got a breathing tube put in, which meant we couldn’t have cuddles until it was out. This lasted longer then we thought. She was in a lot of pain plus we think withdrawal from the morphine. She would cry and there was no way to help. I wished like any parent, to just take the pain for her.
Daisy was a trooper and recovered amazingly. We spent another 2 weeks waiting to get transport back home. The support we had in Wellington NICU and Ronald McDonald house was amazing and we couldn’t ask for anything else. We trusted the nurses and they really helped a lot when we were scared to do cares until we got confident.
We flew back up to Wanganui on 30th April and spent 2 weeks in home SCBU. My husband and I brought Daisy home on the 11th May, just in time to celebrate my first Mothers Day the next day at home with my family.
Daisy is currently 8 months old (4½ months corrected) and is doing amazing, hitting all the milestones, laughing and still enjoying cuddles.
Thanks so much for sharing your personal story
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- The Little Miracles Trust provides support to families of premature or sick full-term babies as they make their journey through Neonatal Intensive Care, the transition home, and onwards. We do not receive any Government funding and are entirely reliant on the generosity of individuals, companies and organisations in the form of donations, value-in-kind donations, grants, sponsorship and fundraising events to supplement operating costs and fund our services and initiatives.
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