Millie-Rae born at 27weeks

26 weeks and 2 days On friday the 13th of march 2015 I woke up, after having back pain and cervical pain. I went to the toilet and noticed some spotting.



After calling the triage I was told not to rush in but make my way to go and get my anti d injection. While waiting to get a lift i started having cramps that felt like the start of labour.



So my mother in law drove us to the hospital. The first thing they did was give me the injection and they were going to send me home but i mentioned that I'd had a leak but wasnt sure what it was. So they did and internal... the dr said everything was fine but as i sat up i felt a pool of something.



The dr said it was probably sweating on the pad id had on but my reply was that I'm not wearing a pad now and im leaking!!! But the dr said it was fine again.



When the Dr walked out of the room the midwife had a look at the leak and obviously went for a second opinion. Another Dr appeared with different tools to have a look (dignity lost right then) he put me in so many different positions and made me cough god knows how many time to then shout the midwife to bring steroid injections asap... confirmed the dreaded news.... my water had broke!!!



I was transferred to North Staffs Royal University hospital to wait 72 hours for labour. Other than a few cramps that came and went there was no labour. On the sunday i was moiterd (daily) and my little girl had a few desats. And reduced her movements but after tellingbthis to my midwife they were still happy for me to be discharged. I was so scared. Id never even knew of this before. I didnt know what to do. I was told to refer back to my local hospital walsall manor 3 times a weeks for monitering/scans/bloods.... monday and tuesday her movements were getting slower... wednesday was my first appointment. I told my consultant she wasnt moving properly so she put me on the moniter. Wothin 10 minutes inwas rushed to delivery to get a drip and fluids but after 5 minutes with no improvemnet i was taken for an emergancy c section. 27 weeks exactly...

My daughter was born at 17:39 screaming. I knew nothing about her... not her size or how beautiful she was... nothing. The peditrician couldnt intubate her so she was rushed off to nicu. My partner areived... and thebwait began. 7 hours after she was born they finally came with our daughter in a huge incubater. She was so tiny and perfect weighing 2lb. She was covered in wires and tubes with beeping everywhere. She was beautiful, we called her Millie-rae.



Thats when the shock hit us. She was being transferred back to stoke as they have an icu. We waited all night for a text message from the transport team to tell us if she had made it alive brett had to go home. So i was alone in hospital with an empty belly waiting to find out if my daughter was alive. We recieved a message early hours of thursday morning saying she had coped very well and looked good. She was just getting settled in.

The next day inwas discharged. My partner and i went to see her later that day. We walked in to this whole new scarey world just by walking through thise double doors. The coridoors were clean and everywhere smelt as sterile as it looked. We waled into room 1.... the room with the sickest babies. My heart broke looking at her. She was so fragile. And i cried my heart out asking how such a tiny baby could survive this??? I touched her sticky delicate skin and promised i wouldnt give up on her. All iwanted to do was hold her and kiss her.

2 days after her birth and we had just arrived to see her bed surrouned by drs and nurses trying to save her life. She had had a huge pulmonary heomerage. We were told she was very sick and they didnt know what the next hours would bring. Again our world shattered. We left broken.... how could this be happening!!! I wanted to stay with her 24/7 but iwas getting sick and was in so much pain from surgery. I felt helpless. After treatment with sufactent and a platlet transfusion she picked up.... from there it was onwards and uowards. She remained stable. I got in to a routine if expressing for her every 3 hours and felt amazing that i had the power to do what thise nurses could never do.

Day 9 the day came where she was strong enough to be taken off life support and onto cpap. Millie coped well and a day later ihad her placed on my chest. That feeling is a feeling i will never be able to explain. The pride and love i had and still have. Inwas in ore. She was fighting so hard for me and all incoukd do is cry with pride as i kissed her and felt her warmth.

She grew bigger and stronger and it wasnt long before I walked in to find her only wearing oxygen prongs and in the next room for babys that are getting better. The time came at 3 weeks old she could be transferred back to our neonatal unit. It was more relaxed and calm and i held my little mille for hours.



I did her tube feeds. I cleaned her and changed her. I was given so much control over my daughter and that was amazing. After 3 months in hospital my littke girl cane home off oxygen!!!!!! Im am so so proud of her.



She turns 1 next month!!!!! Millie-rae you are my miracle and my fighter and the world is yours. You deserve it. She can sit up and babble and roll both ways. She eats well and takes a few bottles in between. Her pediatrician is amazed at her progress.