Hi ! 

On the 8th December 2013 I gave birth to my baby girl Olivia Jayne Hankey. I had waited for this moment for so long! Unfortunately it wasn't quite how I'd imagined it to be. Olivia wasn't breathing properly ,  instead of having those first cuddles and hearing your baby cry for the first time, I heard emergency buzzers going off and doctors and nurses rushing in to try and get Olivia breathing.

They tried to assist with Olivia's breathing by putting a tube in her throat , they rushed Olivia down to the Neonatal Unit at Kings Mill , leaving me , my husband and my mum terrified. 

On the way down to the ward Olivia pulled the tube out of her throat and was then breathing unassisted :)when the doctors informed us of this , it was such a relief , but unfortunately that wasn't the end of it.

Olivia was extremely unsettled and this was a huge concern for the doctors. After numerous test they decided to carry out a lumber puncture, from doing this, they informed us that she had Meningitis. 

This was heart breaking for us and I honestly felt like my world had come crashing down in an instant. Olivia was  in an incubator and kept on the Neonatal ward , where she received 24/7 care.

 During our time on the Neonatal ward we got to find out about the Emily Harris foundation and also got to read such lovely stories from other parents that had been in similar situations to what we were going through. 

Olivia had to stay in hospital for two weeks ( this felt like a life time for us) but thankfully we were able to stay in the parents flats in the ward for three days before Olivia was due to come home. We were so grateful for this , and the support that we had received from the Emily Harris foundation which is why we are wanting to raise money for such a great foundation to enable other parents to receive the support we did . 

After our three day stay we finally got to take Olivia home two days before Christmas Day , which was also mine and my husbands first year wedding anniversary , we couldn't of wished for a better day!! 

The Emily Harris foundation supports parents of new borns going into the neonatal unit , with things like welcome bags , food vouchers for parents while they are staying in hospital and the renovation of the parents flats.  

To help us raise money for this foundation we will be holding a sponsored cycle which will be taking place from Ollerton to Skegness on the 12th September 2014. 

Olivia is doing great now, she is such a happy and healthy little girl and is now 6 and half months old. She is our world. And we honestly couldn't imagine life without her now. 

We honesty can't thank the ward enough for the special care and love they gave , not only to Olivia , but to me and my husband too. We will be forever grateful. 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my page,

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