by The Pʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ Baby Was Smaller Ther Her Mother’s Wedding Ring Has Miraculously sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴅᴅs
Clare Payne-Cooper, 34, and husband Robert, 35, from Dudley, West Midlands, were told during their 28 week sᴄᴀɴ that their baby would not sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ as she had sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ɢʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ.
The ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ parents prepared for the ᴡᴏʀsᴛ and, two and a half months before her due date, Savannah was born ᴠɪᴀ ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. The tot weighed just over one pound but doctors were sᴛᴜɴɴᴇᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ sʜᴇ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ by herself.
She spent the next 11 weeks in hospital Fɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ Fᴏʀ ʜᴇʀ ʟɪFᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ sᴛɪʟʟ ɴᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ, Savannah now weighs six pounds and is back at home with her parents.
Clare, a family support worker, said: “Savannah is our little ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ, I couldn’t believe how small she was, my wedding ring was bigger than her hand. At first we were absolutely ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ when we were told our baby wouldn’t make it. “At our 28 week sᴄᴀɴ, Savannah appeared to be really small and we were told there and then that she was going ᴅ.ɪ.ᴇ. Doctors found I had ʀᴇsᴛʀɪᴄᴛᴇᴅ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ Fʟᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ and that’s why she wasn’t developing. “We were given a ɢʟɪᴍᴍᴇʀ ᴏF ʜᴏᴘᴇ ᴀFᴛᴇʀ sʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴛʀᴀɴsFᴇʀʀᴇᴅ to another hospital but it was still very much touch and go. I had an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ three days later, which was ᴛᴇʀʀɪFʏɪɴɢ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋFᴜʟʟʏ sʜᴇ ᴘᴜʟʟᴇᴅ through. The staff named her Tinkerbell because she was so small, but she now weights six pounds and we have finally been able to bring her home.”
Clare and Rob had been trying for a baby for nearly three years and so were thrilled when they found out Clare was expecting.
But Savannah’s life hung in the balance when she was born on November 1, ᴠɪᴀ ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴡᴇɪɢʜɪɴɢ just 21 ounces.
She added: “We couldn’t believe it, Savannah was ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴠᴇɴᴛɪʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ everyone. We had a baby grow that was for babies ᴡᴇɪɢʜɪɴɢ just one pound, but even that was too big for her. She was just so tiny and was sᴜʀʀᴏᴜɴᴅᴇᴅ by teddy bears that were bigger than her. At four days old, once she was stable, she was ᴛʀᴀɴsFᴇʀʀᴇᴅ to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton and was placed on ʜɪɢʜ Fʟᴏᴡ ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ until she got to 35 weeks. In total she spent 11 weeks in three different hospitals, it was really difficult as all we wanted to do was bring her home.”
On January 16, four days before her due date and ᴡᴇɪɢʜɪɴɢ just four pounds, Clare and Rob were able to bring their little girl home.
Clare said: “I couldn’t relax until she was born and admittedly I felt robbed of my pregnancy. Now she’s home we can’t believe she’s actually here. She’s been doing really well ever since and now weighs just over six pounds. Next week doctors are planning to take her ᴏFF ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ to see how she gets on and we are still waiting on the results of what caused it all in the first place. We are ʜᴏʟᴅɪɴɢ ᴀ Fᴜɴᴅʀᴀɪsɪɴɢ event on April 2, as we didn’t get to have a baby shower we will be celebrating her birth then and also raising money for the amazing hospitals that cared for Savannah. We received so much support and help from the families we met during our time in hospital, they really helped us pull through a really difficult time. We wanted to share our story in the hope of helping others who might find themselves in the same situation as we did.”
