Our twin pregnancy was a complete shock after two miscarriages we discovered we were expecting boy/girl twins. The pregnancy was healthy and uncomplicated and we were amazed that we reached 37 weeks and that I had even still been running up until 36 weeks. I went into the John Radcliffe hospital on the 7th June 2020 alone due to covid 19 restrictions to be induced.. after examination it was seen that I didn’t need an induction as I was already in labour and so at that point I was allowed my partner in with me in the delivery suite. As the leading twin was head down we proceeded with a vaginal delivery and twin 1 our baby boy Jaxon was born at 4.36am on the 8th June. Everything was calm up until the point twin 2’s heart rate was dropping and it became clear that twin 2 our little girl Isla’s cord had presented before she did and so the cord was stuck tight against her head. I was told not to push despite my body doing what it naturally wanted to do and contracting. The decision was then made to rush me into theatre and as I had had no pain relief up until that point and our twin had to be born quickly due to the pressure her head was putting on the cord and her drop in heart rate I was given a general anaesthetic and Isla our little girl was born unresponsive at 5.15am.

My partner Jonathan meanwhile was sat alone holding Jaxon waiting for news. He was told that Isla was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit and that I had had excessive bleeding and was still being treated. I lost two litres of blood but recovered well enough to not need a transfusion. He was allowed to see me in recovery for an hour and then we had to say goodbye. Thankfully we could meet up in the ICU to see baby Isla. She had been placed on a cooling mat to drop her body temperature to 33 degrees and given morphine and oxygen. It transpired she was breathing fine on her own and as the days went on and her brain activity monitored Isla was progressing well. As a new Mum all you want to do is hold your baby. I had to wait until 4 days after she was born to hold Isla. I hated seeing her all wired up and it was sad that I wasn’t changing her first nappy and a tube was giving her her first feed but I was able to express for her. The nurses and doctors and all involved were amazing and I owe mine and Isla’s life to them. Team SSNAP gave us a warm welcome pack and made the time in the ICU a little less intimidating and it was great to know we could talk to someone day and night about our baby. When Isla was a week old she left the ICU and had an MRI scan which came back clear. We couldn’t be more blessed. It was an unfortunate birth with a very fortunate outcome and we want to repay our thanks by raising money to help babies and their parents in ICU who are going through the rollercoaster we went through and worse. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.