Faith Dawsons Charity Fishing Match
Michelle Cannon is raising money for Sheffield Hospitals Charity
Story
Hi we are trying to raise money for Jessops wing Sheffield, we have them to thank for our little girls life, without them she would not be here today.
Here's our story....
Gareth and I found out we were having a baby back in May 2014 and were ecstatic about it, we have 2 children already and this little one would complete our perfect little family. the beginning of the pregnancy was hard as I suffered severe nausea and fatigue and while working full time and having 2 other children it was hard but the thought of our perfect little baby made it all worth while.
We had our first scan at 12 weeks and was told our little munchkin was due on 12th feb 2015. we excitedly awaited our next scan to find out if we were having another little girl or a little boy this time.
our scan date came and on 30th september 2014 we excitedly attended the hospital eager to find out the sex......however, the news we received was earth shattering! The sonographer seemed to be scanning for what seemed like hours, she then looked at us and said there was a problem and that she needed to get a second opinion. There was fluid in our baby's chest cavity and abdomen, we were told that this is very rare but extremely life threatening. we were told that our baby was a little girl but that the chances of survival were very slim and that we needed to think about whether or not we wanted to to proceed with the pregnancy. we decided we weren't giving up and would do everything we could to try and save her. we named our little girl Faith Hope Dawson.
we were transferred to sheffield and had many blood tests and scans to try and find the cause of the hydrops but non were found. At 21 weeks we had to have an amniocentesis to test for chromosomal abnormalities and prayed for the results to come back clear....they did. Our little girl had been diagnosed with Non Immune Hydrops. I did alot of research into this complaint and was horrified at some of the stories i had read and the millions of different causes, but it also gave me a little hope when i found that some people had undergone procedures to try and clear the fluid.
The consultant drained some of the fluid from Faiths chest as her heart and lungs were under too much pressure and was failing, without any kind of intervention she had a maximum of a few days before complete organ failure.
A week later the fluid had fully returned....devastating!!
our consultant decided to offer us a shunt procedure which entailed inserting a large needle and plastic tube in through my tummy into Faiths chest to try and constantly drain the fluid from her chest. this procedure came with risks of miscarriage and also a chance that if Faith was to move suddenly the consultant could puncture her heart or lungs, we had no choice but to risk it in the hope that it would work.
At 22 weeks we had the shunt fitted and hoped and prayed it would stay in place and do what it needed to do.....save our little girl.
we went back 2 weeks later and the shunt was still in place and appeared to be working well. Her heart was under less strain, her lungs had started to inflate which meant they were developing, we had another MRI scan which showed that structurally her organs were perfect.
We continued with fortnightly appointments at sheffield and each visit was an improvement on the last. She was growing as she should and i could feel how strong she was becoming, although the consultant said this was because she was getting everything she needed from me and that he was concerned how she would manage when she had to try and survive for herself.
The consultant wanted us to be aware that although the shunt was working well, we still had no idea what was causing the fluid and that the outcome of the pregnancy was still uncertain.
We finally began to discuss what would happen when she was born which was amazing to speak about as for many months we were told to just take each day at a time.
We were told to prepare for Faith to be taken to NICU as soon as she is born for oxygen, monitoring and tests ect. we were also told to prepare ourselves for the possibility that she may not be able to breathe for herself and also that her lungs may be too damaged or under developed to survive. We felt positive that as she had come this far, although she may need some assistance, she would be fine.
I was booked in for an induction on 2nd feb 2015 and Faith made her appearance on 4th feb 2015. She was born crying and breathing for herself.... AMAZING. I even got to hold her before they took her to NICU which i never dreamed i would be able to do.
Faith was incubated and needed a little oxygen for a couple of hours. She was doing far better than the doctors could have ever hoped. They said she was doing alot better outside the womb than she was inside. She was a miracle and the day after she was born i began to breastfeed her, she was a feisty little girl, constantly pulling her monitors off and then pulled her cannula out when she decided she no longer needed it, the doctors were astonished by her.
She had a scan and blood tests and still no cause was found for the fluid but the fluid was minimal and they were not worried about it.
After 6 Nights she came out of NICU and was up on the ward with me.
When she was a week old we brought her home, something we dare not believe would happen all them weeks before hand.
Faith is now 4 weeks old tomorrow and is thriving!
We have Jessops to thank for that, had our consultant not carried out the procedures he did when he did then Faith would not be here and our lives would have never been the same again.
Our lives have changed for the better and after all those months of heartbreak and worry, all the tears us and our families shed, all the tests and scans and the praying we did, we now have our miracle baby in our arms and every second is magical as the outcome could have been so different.
We will never be able to thank the staff at the Feto-Maternal dept at Jessops enough especially our consultant Dr Jhocki.
The staff in NICU were equally as amazing, the time they spend looking after babies and their families, they are truly special people and felt so at ease knowing they were looking after our baby while we were not there.
We would love to give something back which is why we have set up this page to try and raise money for Jessops.
Gareth has arranged a fishing competition on 26th July to help raise money, there are also large companies in doncaster getting involved and the Freepress are also doing an article on us and the match to help raise more money,
we would be truly grateful for any donation to such an amazing hospital with amazing staff!!
Here's our story....
Gareth and I found out we were having a baby back in May 2014 and were ecstatic about it, we have 2 children already and this little one would complete our perfect little family. the beginning of the pregnancy was hard as I suffered severe nausea and fatigue and while working full time and having 2 other children it was hard but the thought of our perfect little baby made it all worth while.
We had our first scan at 12 weeks and was told our little munchkin was due on 12th feb 2015. we excitedly awaited our next scan to find out if we were having another little girl or a little boy this time.
our scan date came and on 30th september 2014 we excitedly attended the hospital eager to find out the sex......however, the news we received was earth shattering! The sonographer seemed to be scanning for what seemed like hours, she then looked at us and said there was a problem and that she needed to get a second opinion. There was fluid in our baby's chest cavity and abdomen, we were told that this is very rare but extremely life threatening. we were told that our baby was a little girl but that the chances of survival were very slim and that we needed to think about whether or not we wanted to to proceed with the pregnancy. we decided we weren't giving up and would do everything we could to try and save her. we named our little girl Faith Hope Dawson.
we were transferred to sheffield and had many blood tests and scans to try and find the cause of the hydrops but non were found. At 21 weeks we had to have an amniocentesis to test for chromosomal abnormalities and prayed for the results to come back clear....they did. Our little girl had been diagnosed with Non Immune Hydrops. I did alot of research into this complaint and was horrified at some of the stories i had read and the millions of different causes, but it also gave me a little hope when i found that some people had undergone procedures to try and clear the fluid.
The consultant drained some of the fluid from Faiths chest as her heart and lungs were under too much pressure and was failing, without any kind of intervention she had a maximum of a few days before complete organ failure.
A week later the fluid had fully returned....devastating!!
our consultant decided to offer us a shunt procedure which entailed inserting a large needle and plastic tube in through my tummy into Faiths chest to try and constantly drain the fluid from her chest. this procedure came with risks of miscarriage and also a chance that if Faith was to move suddenly the consultant could puncture her heart or lungs, we had no choice but to risk it in the hope that it would work.
At 22 weeks we had the shunt fitted and hoped and prayed it would stay in place and do what it needed to do.....save our little girl.
we went back 2 weeks later and the shunt was still in place and appeared to be working well. Her heart was under less strain, her lungs had started to inflate which meant they were developing, we had another MRI scan which showed that structurally her organs were perfect.
We continued with fortnightly appointments at sheffield and each visit was an improvement on the last. She was growing as she should and i could feel how strong she was becoming, although the consultant said this was because she was getting everything she needed from me and that he was concerned how she would manage when she had to try and survive for herself.
The consultant wanted us to be aware that although the shunt was working well, we still had no idea what was causing the fluid and that the outcome of the pregnancy was still uncertain.
We finally began to discuss what would happen when she was born which was amazing to speak about as for many months we were told to just take each day at a time.
We were told to prepare for Faith to be taken to NICU as soon as she is born for oxygen, monitoring and tests ect. we were also told to prepare ourselves for the possibility that she may not be able to breathe for herself and also that her lungs may be too damaged or under developed to survive. We felt positive that as she had come this far, although she may need some assistance, she would be fine.
I was booked in for an induction on 2nd feb 2015 and Faith made her appearance on 4th feb 2015. She was born crying and breathing for herself.... AMAZING. I even got to hold her before they took her to NICU which i never dreamed i would be able to do.
Faith was incubated and needed a little oxygen for a couple of hours. She was doing far better than the doctors could have ever hoped. They said she was doing alot better outside the womb than she was inside. She was a miracle and the day after she was born i began to breastfeed her, she was a feisty little girl, constantly pulling her monitors off and then pulled her cannula out when she decided she no longer needed it, the doctors were astonished by her.
She had a scan and blood tests and still no cause was found for the fluid but the fluid was minimal and they were not worried about it.
After 6 Nights she came out of NICU and was up on the ward with me.
When she was a week old we brought her home, something we dare not believe would happen all them weeks before hand.
Faith is now 4 weeks old tomorrow and is thriving!
We have Jessops to thank for that, had our consultant not carried out the procedures he did when he did then Faith would not be here and our lives would have never been the same again.
Our lives have changed for the better and after all those months of heartbreak and worry, all the tears us and our families shed, all the tests and scans and the praying we did, we now have our miracle baby in our arms and every second is magical as the outcome could have been so different.
We will never be able to thank the staff at the Feto-Maternal dept at Jessops enough especially our consultant Dr Jhocki.
The staff in NICU were equally as amazing, the time they spend looking after babies and their families, they are truly special people and felt so at ease knowing they were looking after our baby while we were not there.
We would love to give something back which is why we have set up this page to try and raise money for Jessops.
Gareth has arranged a fishing competition on 26th July to help raise money, there are also large companies in doncaster getting involved and the Freepress are also doing an article on us and the match to help raise more money,
we would be truly grateful for any donation to such an amazing hospital with amazing staff!!