On the 10th March 2020 just before lockdown at our 29 week growth scan at Worthing hospital they noticed something unusual. Our obstetrician quickly referred us to St George’s Hospital in London the next day for a scan by specialist in the fetal medicine unit. Upon having the scan they advised us that Grace had a condition called Duodenal Atresia. 

Duodenal Atresia is a rare condition affecting around 1 in 10,000 babies. It occurs when the first part of the small intestine just beyond the stomach, is closed off rather than being a tube. This stops food and fluid passing from the stomach into the intestines. 

Grace having Duodenal Astresia meant it increased the levels of amniotic fluid during my pregnancy. This resulted in me having severe Polyhydramnios, a condition that occurs in around 1% of pregnancy’s and something I suffered from throughout my third trimester. To manage my comfort I needed to go to St George’s Hospital in London every 2 weeks for the remainder of my pregnancy to get Amniocentesis, a procedure which drained 2 litres of amniotic fluid each time from my uterus. The build up of amniotic fluid meant I struggled to breath, was in pain, suffered severe heartburn and had lots of sleepless nights.

The fetal medicine unit advised us that Grace would need to under go an operation once she was born and that I would need to be induced early and have the baby at St George’s Hospital. 

I was induced on 12th May 2020 and our little girl Grace was born on 16th May 2020. Both Grace and I suffered from Strep B, an infection during labour which we both required antibiotics for. This delayed Grace having her operation until 19th May 2020 as she needed to be fighting fit. The operation was a success and her recovery in the Neonatal unit at St George’s Hospital took 4 weeks. She was unable to have milk for the first 2 weeks, but once she was able to have milk her recovery went from strength to strength. Grace was then transferred to Worthing hospital where she stayed for the last few days of her recovery. 

We were able to take our beautiful daughter Grace home on 16th June 2020  :)

Throughout our time at St George’s Hospital we would not have coped without the amazing staff and support of First Touch, the official charity of St George’s Hospitals Neonatal unit. First Touch funds state-of-the-art equipment and specialist staff training which are outside of the scope of NHS budgets, as well a range of initiatives to support families during their stay on the unit. They also provide families with welcome bags, refreshments, memory boxes, breast pumps, gifts on mother’s/father’s day, help with travel/accommodation and funeral costs.

To say thank you Ricky will be running the Worthing 10k on Sunday 10th October 2021 to raise money along with his friends.

Love Danielle, Ricky and Grace 

xxx