On 20 November 2009 my precious baby girl Hannah Violet Ferguson came into this world.  The memories of that day will stay with us forever.  As will the ‘what if’s.  Those who do not believe in miracles, have yet to read our story…

My pregnancy with Hannah was perfect!  I loved being pregnant with my first son Junior and was thrilled to be expecting again.  I was in love with my baby bump and couldn’t wait for our new addition to the family.  Hannah’s expected due date was 7 November 2009.  On that day I was examined by the community midwife who tried to move things along.  I was sure my baby would arrive soon.  The days passed and after two more appointments with the community midwife and two further membrane sweeps there was still no sign of baby wanting to move.  In hindsight, I think she knew she was safer to stay there!

I was booked in for induction on the evening of 19 November 2009.  That night, I completely fell to pieces.  I was shaking, crying and honestly petrified about what was going to happen.  I was induced that night and I went to sleep looking forward to meeting my baby.  Again, in hindsight, I think my body knew something was wrong and it is a blessing that I was in the Lagan Valley Hospital that night.

I woke on the morning of Friday 20 November 2009 with contractions.  I didn’t call for any help, or ask for my husband. I walked calmly around my room, taking each contraction as it came, breathing, and thinking to myself I was doing great at this!  Suddenly I felt a gush of fluid and thought my waters had broken.  I looked down and all I could see was blood.  I stood frozen as this blood kept running from me and flooded the room.  I called for help and a midwife arrived.  I was frightened that I was losing my baby.  The midwives were obviously frightened too.  They moved me to the bed and searched for babys heartbeat.  I was around 6cm dilated by now.  The heartbeat was so faint, I was taken into labour ward and Dr McCabe (who is our angel!) arrived to examine me.  A probe was attached to babys head to try and monitor the heartbeat.  Dr McCabe explained that I was losing a lot of blood and they were not sure at this stage whose blood it was.  Because babys heartbeat was so faint, Dr McCabe decided an emergency c section was needed. 

I was crying uncontrollably, frightened and on my own.  As the midwives rushed me down to theatre, all I remember is asking is my baby going to die.  I can still see every face of every midwife and doctor that day.  I was given a general anesthetic and my last memory is wanting desperately to hold someones hand and tell me everything would be ok.

My baby daughter was born by emergency caesarean section weighting 7lb 15.5oz.  She had no heartbeat and had lost all her blood.  The doctors worked with her for some time to resuscitate her and after being given a full blood transfusion, she was taken to the Ulster Hospital Neo Natal Unit.  The doctors there gave her more blood and repaired her lung which had collapsed.  After that, they could do no more, so she was transferred to the Royal Maternity Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit.

After recovery I was moved to a ward and Dr McCabe came to see me.  I will never forget the look on her face.  She told us that our baby girl was very poorly and that we should call our family and go immediately to the Royal to say our goodbyes.  The feeling when those words hit me will stay with me forever.  Dr McCabe asked were we going to give her a name and I automatically said Hannah – because of its meaning.

I was brought in to see Hannah in my bed.  She was in an incubator, hooked up to a ventilator and lots of wires everywhere.  She was on drugs to stop her fitting.  I was just crying uncontrollably wondering how this could happen.  She was by far the biggest baby in the ICU yet we were told she was by far the sickest.  She had been placed on a cooling mat.  The aim of this being to cool her body down so cold that the brain could not react, or at best limit the damage caused due to the lack of oxygen she had suffered.  She was to remain cooled for 72 hours and then gradually warmed again.

The next 48 hours were critical to see if she survived.  At no point did anyone give a glimmer of hope that she would though.  It was reiterated again and again just how poorly my baby girl was.  The next day, it was explained to me about vasa previa and how that because this had gone undiagnosed this had been the cause of the complications with Hannah’s birth.  Vasa previa meant that the blood vessels in the umbilical cord were over the cervix, so when my membranes ruptured so did the blood vessels carrying blood to my unborn child.  As she was losing blood, her heart rate decreased and she was being deprived of oxygen.  Effectively Hannah was bleeding to death.

Hannah proved to be a little fighter from the second she was born.  Day three she was breathing on her own without the ventilator.  She had been having a few seizures but after three days she was taken off the drugs and the monitor.  Her kidneys were working.  And before long she was beginning to take expressed milk through her tube.  After one week in intensive care, I was finally told that my baby girl would survive.

Hannah was then transferred back to the Ulster Hospital Neo Natal Unit and on day 8 I got to hold my baby girl for the very first time.  Words could not describe the rollercoaster we had been through to get to this moment.  Every day Hannah was getting better, the only concern was her feeding.  She had no suck reflex so was still being tube fed by day 10.  Then, true to her little personality, she proved everyone wrong and decided she would feed, perfectly.  It was truly amazing to be able to be so close to my daughter at last.

Hannah went for her MRI scan at the Ulster Hospital and we waited patiently for the results.  We were prepared by the hospital staff that we may have a severely physically and mentally disabled child due to her birth complications.  Miraculously, Hannah’s MRI scan came back normal.  There had been no brain damage.  Without the cooling treatment, this may well have not been the case.

Hannah was discharged on day 12 and arrived home at last to meet her family.  We attended a paediatrician and physiotherapist until Hannah reached 18 months and at that point everyone was so pleased with her that she was discharged.  Hannah will be two in November and is a beautiful, happy, healthy little girl who is a joy to be with.  She brings a smile to all who meet her with her infectious cheeky personality and beautiful big blue eyes.

Anyone who meets Hannah is truly amazed at her story; she has been described as a miracle by every medical professional we have seen.  Looking back, I think everything happens for a reason and someone must have been looking down on us.  What if I had gone into labour early?  What if I wasn’t in the hospital when my waters broke?  What if Dr McCabe or any of the doctors were not there that morning?  What if the cooling treatment was unavailable?  I am incredibly lucky that I was in such good care at the Lagan Valley Hospital on the day of 20 November 2009 and that Hannah received such wonderful medical attention following her traumatic birth.

If I had known of vasa previa and the devastating effects, I would have requested it was scanned for during my pregnancy.  Such a simple procedure can save a perfectly healthy babys life.  I would never want any family to go through what we have.  The outcomes are very rarely as good as Hannahs. 

Hannah Violet Ferguson is a true miracle and we are so very blessed to have her with us.

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