We took everything just one day at a time, at times we took it one minute, one hour at a time. We agreed to only focus on the information infront of us and not deal with “What if’s?” because it was just too overwhelming. The NICU staff at Liverpool Women’s literally became our extended family. Our son was born during covid, we were not able to see our friends and family and so our support network became the Doctors and Nurses. 

We only received follow up providing answers or an explanation as to why I went into premature labour because I pushed for a meeting.

Experiencing premature birth has changed me forever. I am not the same person. You cannot go through this experience without being affected. Its taught me what bravery is, it taught me what strength looks like and it taught me how it feels to love unconditionally. 

If I could go back and give myself some advice or kind words, I would say, “You are not the reason this happened. You don’t have to carry this guilt. Trust the process but don’t be afraid to question the medical team and work with them to get the best results for your baby”

Before this happened to us, we had no idea what it meant to have a baby at such extreme prematurity. The journey is volatile and hugely emotional. A Doctor told me that perhaps that’s the reason that much isn’t known about this world, because its just so hard to deal with. I disagree, I think the more this is talked about and understood the more it can be accepted and the more society will understand just what is involved for the family going through this.