Jimmy’s Story

As told by his māmā, Megan

At 28 weeks I went into labour spontaneously at home. Initially, I thought I just had a bit of the flu – achy all over. Then I noticed some unusual fluid loss and painful Braxton Hicks contractions. Except… it wasn’t Braxton Hicks – it was Jimmy!

We tried our best to stop labour, but our son was far too determined and made his arrival via emergency C-section, 15 hours after we reached the hospital.

I’ll never forget seeing Jimmy for the first time. He was placed in a plastic bag to keep him warm — something that completely caught me off guard and gave us quite a fright. He was quickly taken to NICU and placed on breathing support. A pneumothorax was diagnosed straight away, but otherwise, he was in great health.

We got our first cuddle with Jimmy on day two, and his siblings were able to see him in the incubator that same day. I stayed with Jimmy in NICU after being discharged from Queen Mary, which was a journey in itself. I’d never spent a night (or honestly more than a couple of hours!) away from my then two-year-old, so it was a huge adjustment for us all.

I was so thankful to be able to stay, especially as I couldn’t drive post C-section and we live an hour south of the hospital. Staying close meant I could spend lots of time with Jimmy — on average, about 10 hours a day holding him once he was strong enough. It was a lot, but we both needed it. I truly believe that skin-to-skin (kangaroo care), along with the incredible support from our nurses, was the key to his recovery.

During Jimmy’s stay, we did have some setbacks. In week two, he was diagnosed with NEC, and he became very unwell. Thankfully, with early intensive care, we managed to get on top of things without surgery – something I’m endlessly grateful for. We also had some challenges with weight loss, lines, and a bit of gas on his liver. There were countless scans, blood tests, and plenty of tears all around.

I spent five nights at home (spread out over our stay) while Jimmy was on an NG tube, but we soon aimed to have him completely tube-free – which meant being there for every single wake. He took to breastfeeding beautifully, and our daily goal became to “chunk up.” Jimmy came home after six weeks of treatment – a moment of pure joy and relief.

While it wasn’t the start anyone imagines for their baby, it’s one that has made every moment since even more special.

Now eight months old (five months corrected), Jimmy is absolutely thriving. He’s a māmā’s boy with his dad’s cheeky sense of humour and the light of his siblings’ eyes. He’s over 8kg now, transitioning from breastfeeding to solids, and smashing his milestones.

We hold such special memories from our time in NICU – especially with the core nurses who supported not just Jimmy, but us as a whānau. We feel grateful and lucky every single day.