Today is World Prematurity Day. Coincidentally, this was the day that baby Hallie Newrick was due to be born but, due to a rare condition with her placenta in the womb, arrived at just 28 weeks.
Hallie was 12 weeks earlier than planned and weighed just 586 grams when she was born.
This week, Hallie proved to be a little fighter and is now ready to be transferred from the Neonates Unit at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow to a hospital much closer to her family home in Annan.
Lucy Bodenham and Marc Newrick want to make other parents whose baby was born premature know that they’re not alone and to share thanks to the amazing doctors and nurses that cared for them.
At Lucy’s 20 week routine antenatal ultrasound, she learned that Hallie’s placenta had an issue with blood flow along the umbilical cord.
“The blood flow between me and Hallie was stopping and starting. We were sent for weekly scans and became used to watching the blood flow graphs on the screen. After a few weeks, we knew what we were looking out for alongside the midwife. We just assumed that this would be how we would continue up until my due date. We didn’t think too much about an early arrival of Hallie. We felt like everything would be ok if we continued to monitor it,” said Lucy.
She continued: “On the 14th of August, our scan graphs looked different. The blood flow had dropped. This is when our hospital journey began. We started in the foetal medicine ward at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where I was given steroids. It helped but, one week later, the scan showed that the blood flow was moving in reverse. That’s when it was time to prepare for Hallie’s arrival.”
Hallie was born by C-Section and, after a quick cuddle with mum and dad, was transferred to the Neonates Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Hospital for Children.
There have been challenges for Hallie along the way including her bowels struggling and breathing issues due to her lungs not being fully formed. This week, Lucy and Marc celebrated Hallie taking her first bottle of milk.
Hallie has a journey ahead of her as she continues to grow but, for now, her parents look forward to getting her closer to home and eventually into her own crib.
“I keep dreaming of Hallie lying in the beautiful Moses basket that we have next to our bedside at home. We’re all looking forward to that day,” said Lucy.
The pair also want to share thanks to the full team at the Neonates Unit at Royal Hospital for Children.
Marc shared: “We cannot express our thanks enough. The nurses have taken the time to explain every step over and over. They come in to check on Hallie before they finish their shift and they have treated us like an extension of their family. We simply could not have done this without them.
“We also want to let other families, that might be going through something similar, know that they’re not alone and, if they’re struggling, to encourage them to ask for help.”
Tracey Clinton, Senior Charge Nurse for Neonates, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde explained: “World Prematurity Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of premature birth and the impact it can have on babies and families in the neonatal unit and beyond. The neonatal team here at the Royal Hospital for Children are privileged to have supported Lucy and Marc throughout Hallie’s neonatal journey and are delighted that they are now getting closer to finally taking her home.”
