Mum thanks Prematurity Prevention Team after expert care for her baby | News

Isla-Rose was born at just 27 weeks at Birmingham Women’s Hospital, weighing 2.2 pounds, and spent the first 93 days of her life on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).  

Her mum, Emma, was seen regularly by the Prematurity Prevention Team and had a stitch placed in her cervix around 14 weeks to try and prevent preterm birth.

Emma, from Oldbury, has had four previous pregnancies, one of which tragically ended in a miscarriage at 19 weeks, and her second son was born at 24 weeks.  

Emma recalled when she found out she was pregnant, she commented “We were over the moon to find out we were expecting.  

“Because of my previous pregnancies and children, initially I was really concerned, and I was preparing myself for the worst.”  

Due to her previous pregnancies, Emma was seen by the Prematurity Prevention Team, who had decided to do a cervical suture, or stitch, which is a procedure where a stitch is placed around the cervix to strengthen it and support the pregnancy.  

Emma commented: “We planned to have my cervix stitched up before it even started opening, but that wasn’t quite the case.  

“I was seen every two weeks, and every time I’d go in for an appointment, my cervix was opening even more.  

“I was so nervous the entire time, any time I felt something my mind instantly jumped to the worst-case scenario, but the team were so good at being on the other end of the phone when I needed them.  

“ By the time I was at 21 weeks, my cervix was completely open.”  

This meant there was a high chance that baby Isla-Rose would be born before she was big enough to survive. Emma had a difficult decision to make, but decided to undergo a second procedure to put another stitch in her cervix , with the aim that this would delay birth for as long as possible.  

Emma commented: “They had to check for infection before the stitch, and the results came back 24 hours later, but it felt like such a long time.  

“Luckily, it came back clear, but the procedure itself was still risky and there was a high chance of a miscarriage.   

“Everything went smoothly though; the team were so reassuring when I was panicking and I was able to go home after a few days.”  

The stitch was placed by our highly skilled surge on, Dr Fidan Bayli, and the proceedure went smoothly.

Emma was advised to rest and advised not to go back to work, and her pregnancy went smoothly until she noticed some bleeding a few weeks later.  

Emma said: “After I noticed some blood, I was instantly on the phone to the team, who advised me to come to hospital.  

“They checked everything out, and despite the stiches best efforts, my cervix was still opening, so I was admitted to one of the wards.  

“Shortly after this, I started to feel some contractions, which we initially thought were Braxton Hicks, but it turns out I was in labour at 27 weeks.  

"I was in  labour for 14 hours, until we eventually decided it was time for an emergency cesarean.  

“At this point, I was exhausted and after the difficult pregnancy, I just wanted to hold my baby in my arms.”  

Emma was then taken down to theatres, to have an emergency caesarean birth, where she welcomed her daughter Isla-Rose into the world.  

Emma recalled: “The first four minutes after she was born were the worst four minutes of my life.  

“I kept waiting to hear her cry and she wasn’t, and I just remember asking everyone what was happening. 

“The moment I heard that cry was one of the happiest moments of my life.  

“After she started crying, they handed her to me briefly before they had to take her to the unit, but I managed to have a little cuddle and give her a kiss.”  

Isla-Rose then spent 94 days on the NICU, until she was well enough to go home, and her mum Emma visited her every day. 

Emma added:  “I spent as much time as possible with her, often visiting from 8am until 8pm, the NICU very much felt like our second home for those 13 weeks.  

“We finally got to bring her home three days before my youngest son's birthday and I decided to keep it as a surprise for him, so when he came home from school and saw her, he just burst into tears and said it was the best birthday surprise ever.  

“It was such an incredible feeling to finally have our family all together under one roof.”  

Isla-Rose is now 18 months old, and is thriving at home with her mum, dad, and older siblings. 

Emma and Isla-Rose still have regular appointments and are also seen by Birmingham Children’s Hospital.  

Emma said: “ She’s turned into such a cheeky little girl, and all our friends and family call her ‘Isla the smiler’ because she’s  constantly smiling.

“We’ve still got a bit of a way to go, and she’s got chronic lung disease along with a leaky valve in her heart, which is slowly getting smaller, but she’s being well looked after by the incredible teams at the Children’s Hospital.

“I’m just so thankful to the premature prevention team at the Women’s Hospital, they supported me through such a different experience and were always on the other end of the phone if I was worried or had any concerns, even if it was  just reassured me that everything was going to be okay.

“Without the work of the team, I honestly don’t think Isla-Rose would be here and I’ll be forever grateful to them for helping bring her into the world .”

Midwife Libby, who helped look after Emma and Isla-Rose said: "Looking after Emma, Chris and Isla-Rose was an absolute pleasure.  

“At one point we were very worried that baby Isla-Rose would be born at 21 weeks , but thankfully the second suture managed to delay her birth for a few more vital weeks.   

“At this gestation, every single day counts and makes a difference to a baby’s outcomes.  

“We are lucky to still see Isla-Rose when she comes for neonatal checkups and are delighted to see how well she is doing. ”  

Consultant Obstetrician Vicky Hodgetts Morton added: “Our preterm birth prevention team is made up of a small number of dedicated doctors, surgeons, midwives and health care assistants all working to prevent second trimester miscarriage and preterm birth.   

“We are delighted that we were able support Emma and her family through a difficult time. It is through every member of the team dedication that service is here to hear such wonderful happy stories.”

At Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, the Trust is proud to support The Smallest Things Charter, which ensures colleagues who are parents to their own premature babies get the support they need.  
 
Raffaela Goodby Chief People Officer said: “We are a proud employer with heart and supporter of The Smallest Things Charter.