From NICU to Home: Charlie and Blake’s Story
Our journey with our boys began a little earlier than we ever imagined.
At 29 weeks pregnant, I was admitted to Auckland Women’s Hospital wither hypertension, growth restriction and abnormal dopplers for Twin 2, our little Blake. After three long weeks of monitoring and waiting the boys decided it was time to make their arrival at 32 weeks gestation via C-section.
On the day they were born, Charlie weighed 1900g and Blake just 1130g. Both boys needed CPAP to help them breathe immediately after birth. Our little Blake surprised us by coming off CPAP just 24 hours later and breathing completely fine on his own.
Charlie’s journey was a little more complicated. At 2 days old, he needed two lots of surfactant to help his lungs and was eventually intubated so that s chest drain could be inserted. Watching your tiny babies go through so much is something we will never forget.
We spent 20 days in Auckland NICU, surrounded by incredible doctors, nurses and support. We were then given the amazing news that the boys were well enough to be transported home to Whangarei as 2 beds came available. The flight back wasn’t as straight forward for little Blake who needed to go back onto high-flow oxygen after arriving at Whangarei Hospital.
We then spent another month in Whangarei Special care baby unit (SCBU). Our boys even spent Christmas and New Years in hospital, something we never imagined when we pictured their first Christmas. It was a long road filled with ups and downs, tiny milestones, plenty of tears, and so many moments of hope.
Finally, after everything they had been through, our boys came home just one week before their original due date.
Looking back now, it is hard to believe just how far they have come. Our tiny 32-week babies are now 10 ½ months old and absolutely thriving. Charlie is now 10kg and Blake 7.5kg – a far cry from their original birth weights!
We will be forever grateful to the incredible teams at Auckland NICU & Whangarei SCBU who cared for our boys and supported us through some of the hardest and most emotional weeks of our lives.
A special thank you to Little Miracles Trust for the incredible support they gave to our family. Having that support around us during such an overwhelming time meant more than we can put into words.
Our journey certainly wasn’t the start we had ever imagined, but these two little fighters have shown us just how strong they can be. From two tiny babies fighting their way through NICU to two happy, cheeky and thriving boys, we couldn’t be prouder of them.
Thanks so much for sharing your personal story.
We hear from many families in neonatal units who find comfort in reading the stories of others who have walked a similar path. Knowing they’re not alone, and seeing the different ways families navigate their neonatal journey, can bring a sense of connection, understanding and reassurance — even during the most difficult times.
If you would like to share your neonatal journey, we’d be honoured to hear your story and help you share it in whatever way feels right for you.
Email us info@lmt.org.nz
Support Us
If you want to help our support of families going through the stress and anxiety of a neonatal journey, you can donate via the link below.
- 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.
- As we are a registered charity (CC56619) with Charities Services New Zealand we will send you an IRD compliant tax receipt – this will happen automatically by return email.