Without the charity Born Too Soon Joseff would not be here today. The equipment they provided saved his life many times over. With your help they can save many, many more babies.
We have walked 40 miles, sung Christmas carols, hosted lunches and disco's, and knitted blankets. But the babies still need help so we carry on fundraising.
Next . . . cycle London to Paris 2011. Please, please donate.
The scariest and most amazing day of our life happened on the 28 of November 2009. After 6 and a half months of pregnancy my waters broke in what the Doctors deemed a ‘freak accident’. And our son Joseff Tanner was born too soon. 2 and a half months too soon, weighing 3lbs 3oz.
He was whisked off into intensive care where he spent the next 8 weeks of his life. We did not know if he would survive initially. Each and every day we sat by his bedside willing him to continue growing and breathing. Both of which he sometimes failed to do. Thanks to the charity born too soon he had help with his breathing in the form of his ventilator and CPAP breathing machine (cost £80, 000 each). He had a heart, respiration, oxygen level and apnoea monitor (cost £25, 000). So if any of them failed the amazing nurses would be aware and would bring him round again. Sometimes they failed 12 times a day.
He could not regulate his own temperature so had to ‘cook’ for a bit longer in an incubator just like he would have done had be still been in me (cost £32, 000).
He did well. Slowly, slowly the breathing machine was used less and less. Then turned off; a momentous day. He got transferred to the high dependency unit and a heated cot (cost £1, 500). Then a normal cot. We dared to start breathing again, finally believing that he might soon come home.
Then on Christmas morning he got sick. Very, very sick. The doctors called us at 4am to come into hospital immediately. He was lifeless, he was back on the breathing machine. He had developed a gut condition called necrotising enterocolitis. As a very premature baby he had a 75% chance of surviving as long as he did not need surgery. After 3 weeks of conservative treatment the Doctors at our local hospital gave up their fight and sent him to the larger central London Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for a surgical consult. He had a 1 in 3 chance of making it through surgery. Cost of transport incubator £45, 000.
He didn’t need surgery in the end. We spent hours by his bedside willing him to recover and praying. Slowly, slowly he got better, slowly, slowly he started to feed again and kept it down. Slowly, slowly we started to look forward again. Dared to believe that he would be coming home. By this time he had run out of veins in his arms and legs from all the intravenous drugs he had needed (pump cost £3, 000). They had to stick a cannulae in his head. That is why his head is shaved at the top. They gave him a blood transfusion through it. 3 weeks before he was even due.
On Tuesday the 19 of January after 7 and a half weeks in hospital he was transferred back to our local hospital. His progress was then incredible. And on Friday the 22 of January the nurses asked us if we wanted to take him home. Saturday the 23 of January 2010, after driving off 56 times and having to leave our baby boy behind every time, we finally got to take him with us. We got to take him home.
He is now a healthy little boy. He has been given the opportunity to grow up, to go to school, to be a perfectly healthy child. Just like any other child. Even if he did have a rather rocky start.
Without the charity Born Too Soon and the amazing staff at Kingston hospital he would not be here today. The equipment they provided saved his life many times over. With your help they can save many, many more babies. What if it was your baby?
Next . . . cycle London to Paris 2011.
