Trigger warning – our story deals with health complications after birth.
Update - thank you, thank you, thank you! Between pattern sales and the money donated through the Just Giving page we managed to donate just under £700 to the Neonatal Unit. So to everyone who shared, purchased, donated and supported, you are amazing and we can't thank you enough xxx
My Husband Drew and I were expecting our first baby in January 2011, due to some pregnancy complications we were told that our due date would need to be brought forward to 23rd December. His arrival into the world went very smoothly, however within a couple of minutes it was obvious that he was struggling to take enough air into his tiny lungs.
Luckily, we were surrounded in theatre by an amazing team of doctors and nurses. He was very quickly taken down to the Neonatal unit to be assessed. Because he had been delivered by c-section it wasn’t possible for me to go with him, which was excruciating. My husband spent the next few hours bouncing between Dylan and I, trying to bring as much news as possible but I desperately wanted Drew to stay with Dylan; I couldn’t bear the idea of him being alone.
I was taken onto a ward and given a side room on my own, away from the other mothers and babies. In my post-surgery haze, I drifted in and out of sleep waking to find that the Neonatal team had taken a photo of my gorgeous boy and brought it up to me while I slept. Even though I’d only looked at his little face for a few moments before he was taken away, I felt like I’d always known him.
As soon as I was mobile enough, I was taken down to be with my boys. It was such a shock to seeing Dylan in an incubator. The Consultant and Dylan’s dedicated nurse stayed with us and explained everything. They stayed with us while I cried. Stayed with us while we asked them a long list of questions. And stayed with us while we tried to take it all in.
Unfortunately, Dylan’s condition continued to deteriorate overnight and by the morning of Christmas Eve he had been put on a ventilator and was no longer breathing for himself. After extensive testing they had discovered a hole in his lung. We were terrified. He was given some treatment including the introduction of a chest drain, but Dylan’s consultant was confident that ultimately the hole would seal itself. It was now a waiting game.
Waking up on Christmas morning, alone, was not how I’d imagined our first Christmas as a family. As far as we were concerned Christmas was cancelled. However, the Neonatal ward told a different story. I can’t even begin to tell you how it felt arriving onto the ward and see the efforts that had been made to bring Christmas magic to the struggling families.
The Neonatal babies had not been forgotten by Santa who had visited the ward in the night (we still have the photos to prove it), the nurses had also created a Christmas card and calendar with Dylan’s tiny footprint on and he had a bundle of gifts on this incubator, mostly from local charities and former Neonatal parents.
In those moments I was filled with hope for the future, I imagined telling Dylan about his first Christmas when he was older and vowed that if I could make even one other family feel that way then that was exactly what I was going to do! For the last 9 years we have delivered gifts on Christmas eve that the nurses put out on cots overnight, ready for Christmas day.
We’re having to do things a little differently this year. All proceeds from pattern sales of the Ho Ho Ho Christmas Jumper before 24th December 2020 will go directly to the Neonatal unit, helping the nurses deliver some Christmas magic and providing support for the unit as we move forward into 2021. We've also set up a JustGiving page for anyone who would prefer to donate that way
This is an amazing unit, full of wonderful people and just a little touch of magic. We will forever be in their debt.
This story has a very happy ending! Within a week his lung had healed, and he was able to come off the ventilator. Although the first few days were a little rocky as he learnt how to breathe on his own, he continued to make great progress. Slowly we were able to start caring for him. I was able to feed him, Drew could change his nappy and we could both finally cuddle him for hours on end. And then, we got to take him home and all our dreams came true.
This is an amazing unit, full of wonderful people and just a little touch of magic. We will forever be in their debt.
Sending lots of Christmas magic from our family to yours. Merry Christmas xx
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