For two months, ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄs had been telling Hannah Wicks that her baby daughter would ɴᴏᴛ sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ. And the mother of a ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ baby who was told she had to prepare for the ᴡᴏʀsᴛ during the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ has spoken of her daughter’s ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ-ᴛʜᴇ-ᴏᴅᴅs ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ to sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ.
Poppy, ʙᴏʀɴ at 25 weeks on March 9, weighing 12.7oz, was so sᴍᴀʟʟ that with her arms and legs curled up she looked like a 7cm tennis ball. Hannah Wicks and partner Steve McSween, both 31 from Bristol, were told Poppy’s ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇs of sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ throughout the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ were sʟɪᴍ. Just 18 weeks into Dᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs ᴡᴀʀɴᴇᴅ the baby would be ᴅᴇᴀᴅ on the next sᴄᴀɴ as there had been ɴᴏ sɪɢɴs ᴏF ɢʀᴏᴡᴛʜ. Hannah had even bought a tiny rabbit toy so her ᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴏᴜs ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ one would ɴᴏᴛ be alone in her ᴄᴏFFɪɴ. Dᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ the ᴅɪʀᴇ Fᴏʀᴇᴄᴀsᴛs from ᴇxᴘᴇʀᴛs Poppy was ʙᴏʀɴ on March 9, just a week past the ᴀʙᴏʀᴛɪᴏɴ ʟɪᴍɪᴛ, and is back home. Hannah said: ” Poppy really is our ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ baby, she’s just Fᴏᴜɢʜᴛ and Fᴏᴜɢʜᴛ and Fᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ all the ᴏᴅᴅs. But she’s made it. We’ve never given up ʜᴏᴘᴇ but we always ᴘʀᴇᴘᴀʀᴇᴅ for the ᴡᴏʀsᴛ that Poppy would ɴᴏᴛ sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ. All along we were told, she’s ɴᴏᴛ going to be ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ at the next sᴄᴀɴ.”
Dᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs explained their ᴜɴʙᴏʀɴ baby sᴜFFᴇʀᴇᴅ from Fᴏᴇᴛᴀʟ ɢʀᴏᴡᴛʜ ʀᴇsᴛʀɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. Bʟᴏᴏᴅ was ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴄʜɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ᴠᴇssᴇʟs. Poppy ᴀʀʀɪᴠᴇᴅ by ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ Cᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ at 25 weeks, a week past the ᴀʙᴏʀᴛɪᴏɴ ʟɪᴍɪᴛ. Hannah says: “When they said they had to ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀ, I burst into tears. That’s when it ʜɪᴛ me, she’s either going to make it or not. So many people had said, she’s too sᴍᴀʟʟ. We were told the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ ᴇǫᴜɪᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ to sᴀᴠᴇ her life after ʙɪʀᴛʜ was too sᴍᴀʟʟ for her and they ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ be able to help her. But after the birth one of the Dᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs brought her over to me and I was able to kiss her. It meant so much that I had seen her. It was amazing. I sat for what felt like a lifetime, longing to hold her. To be able to properly cuddle her was unbelievable. We feel incredibly lucky.”
Poppy ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇᴅ to sᴜFFᴇʀ sᴇᴛʙᴀᴄᴋs, ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪɴɢ sᴇᴘsɪs when she was six weeks old. But the girl they call their ‘ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ Fɪɢʜᴛᴇʀ’ also continued to ᴅᴇFʏ the ᴏᴅᴅs and is now at home, 17 weeks after her ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ birth. While she still needs an ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ ᴀɪᴅ, Dᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs are ᴄᴏɴFɪᴅᴇɴᴛ she will be ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ on her own soon. She is one of the sᴍᴀʟʟest babies to sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ and at four months old she weighs in at 4lb 5oz ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ the average 7lb 5oz for a newʙᴏʀɴ. Hannah and Steve will now re-book their wedding, which was called off when Poppy ᴀʀʀɪᴠᴇᴅ a month before the big day. The couple plan to marry with Poppy in attendance, alongside her proud big brothers, Oliver and Steve’s four-year-old son Oli, from a previous relationship.
Looking back on how far her daughter has come in just three months, Hannah says: “I never could have believed she would have been one of the sᴍᴀʟʟest babies in the ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ . She looks ᴍᴀssɪᴠᴇ now compared to when she was born! “She really is our ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ baby .”
Source: babynewss
