by This Touching Photo About A Miracle Smallest ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ Babies Ever To sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇᴅ
Little Macey was born just seven days after the ʟᴇɢᴀʟ U..K ᴀʙᴏʀᴛɪᴏɴ ʟɪᴍɪᴛ, and she weighed just 551g. FINALLY being able to cuddle your baby is a special moment for all parents, but it was extra poignant for this couple.
Little Macey Micklethwaite was a tiny 551g when she was born at just 25 weeks – just SEVEN DAYS over the ᴀʙᴏʀᴛɪᴏɴ ʟɪᴍɪᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ U..K. She is now fit and healthy at home with her mum and dad, who are eternally thankful for the help they received when she was born so early.
Her dad Rhys ɴᴀʀʀᴏᴡʟʏ ᴄʜᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴛᴏʀʙɪᴋᴇ ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛ, so when his partner Karen found out she was 18 weeks pregnant the couple were thrɪʟʟed. A little over a month later Karen, from Worcester, went into ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ labour, and the ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴘᴀɪʀ were told their baby probably wouldn’t sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ
“When she was born she was the size of my hand, I look back at photos and think how un-baby-like she looks, but at the time I thought, She ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇᴅ through so much. I feel so lucky to have her.” Karen said.
She found out she was pregnant over Christmas and had sᴄᴀɴs at 20 and 22 weeks which were fine. Three weeks later a midwife took her ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴘʀᴇssᴜʀᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜsʟʏ ʜɪɢʜ. She went to ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ and was ᴛʀᴀɴsFᴇʀʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴜɴɪᴛ ɪɴ Bʀɪsᴛᴏʟ, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ sʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴛᴏʟᴅ sʜᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴘʀᴇ-ᴇᴄʟᴀᴍᴘsɪᴀ. It’s a ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ where the ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ stops working ᴇFFᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴜᴛʀɪᴇɴᴛ Fʟᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʙʏ ɪs ʀᴇᴅᴜᴄᴇᴅ.
“I remember sitting in ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ with Rhys and I felt fine. I thought they would just send me home, I was ᴜɴᴀᴡᴀʀᴇ ᴏF ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ I ᴡᴀs ᴛʀᴀɴsFᴇʀʀᴇᴅ… Then I was in disbelief. Tears came as I knew something was wrong. They realised that Macey had sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ɢʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ at 23 weeks.” she said
At first the doctors put off delivering Macey, but eventually she was born via a ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. She entered the world on February 20 and was ɪᴍᴍᴇᴅɪᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ɪɴᴛᴇɴsɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ because she was so small.
Karen didn’t see her daughter for two days, in which time Macey’s ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴘʟᴜᴍᴍᴇᴛᴇᴅ to 478g.
“It was my birthday the day after I had her, and the birth was a joyous occasion. I would say it was the best day of my life, It was good that she was fine and ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ on her own. But I was a lot more ɪʟʟ than I realised. My ᴋɪᴅɴᴇʏs ᴡᴇʀᴇ Fᴀɪʟɪɴɢ. I could not cuddle her for the first two days.” she said
Mum and baby did start to improve, although Macey’s road to recover was hard. She was in ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ for almost five months, but is now a strong and health eight-month-old baby weighing 8.5lb.
“She got a number of ɪɴfᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs ᴀɴᴅ ɪʟʟɴᴇssᴇs. She had part of her ʙᴏᴡᴇʟ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ. Her feeding was a problem. Fortunately only things that were Fɪxᴀʙʟᴇ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ. She is just a normal baby. She is small but catching others up. Health and development wise she is on ᴛʀᴀᴄᴋ. It’s amazing how much she has ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇᴅ through.”Karen said
