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2022 was a hard and scary year for us, when in March it became apparent Ibbie was growing slower than her gestational age.  We were referred to Liverpool Women’s and were told to prepare ourselves for the worst.

Over the course of the next few months we visited Liverpool Women’s on a weekly basis, at least twice per week.  The staff were nothing short of amazing, treating us like friends and family with the utmost dignity and respect.  As scary as the journey was, the staff made it more bearable.

In July, at 37 weeks the decision was made that the best course of action was to deliver Ibbie. It was a miracle that we got to this point. The hospital carried out increased monitoring and it was the most fortunate thing in the world that they did. Whilst monitoring the foetal heart rate the machine lost all trace of Ibbie and an emergency c section was carried out.

Ibbie arrived into the world within a couple of minutes and had to be resuscitated as her tiny body couldn’t cope with birth.  Without the fast actions of the hospital staff and the increased monitoring by the consultants and midwives there is no doubt Ibbie wouldn’t be here today.

But the hospital weren’t done with providing their amazing care. Ibbie was born unable to regulate her temperature, with low blood sugars and jaundice.  As such she was moved quickly to Neonatal Intensive Care. NICU became home for the next five weeks as Ibbie battled for life. 

On the journey through lots of ups and downs, the hospital staff cared for the whole family.  They gave mum accommodation above NICU so she was always close by and on hand, they welcomed Ibbie’s 4 siblings and they answered the phone to answer my questions at whatever ungodly hour I was worrying. The family room in NICU was a sanctuary that provided a way for us to be together in the most difficult of times and at all times the care was second to none.

Ibbie was diagnosed with a condition called Hyperinsulinism whilst in hospital and the consultants, NICU midwives and all other staff never gave us any false promises. They always chose the right words, always answered us truthfully and were honest enough to admit when the answer was unknown.  They made a situation that was the worst thing to ever go through that little bit more manageable.  We will never be able to thank them enough.

Please give whatever you can so that families with stories like ours can continue to benefit from the amazing service of the only hospital of its kind in Europe.  A hospital that treats and supports families from all over the UK needs to be protected like the national treasure it is!