Every Journey is different, so here is ours.. in brief.

On February 3rd, 2023 a precious baby boy named Charlie, was born.
Charlie was born 30 weeks premature via c-section at The Royal Women’s Hospital in Randwick.
Our journey was always going to be a complicated one. I have type 1 Diabetes, diagnosed at the age of 7. As a result of this, I also had chronic kidney disease and hypertension.
Charlie is a miracle!
Our journey involved a number of hospitalizations due to the impact of the pregnancy on my own health and also suffering from Hyperemesis gravidarum.
It was at the last of these hospitalizations where I suffered 12 hours of vomiting that I was admitted. My blood pressure was monitored in Wollongong Hospital and was determined it was steadily increasing. I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. With that risk in mind, it was decided to transfer me to Randwick for monitoring in the event that I would deliver early. I arrived at the Royal on Thursday afternoon and was told Friday morning I was going to have an emergency c-section that day.
At 1420 that afternoon Charlie was delivered safely via c-section weighing 1.435kg. I had lost a significant amount of blood during the delivery and required an iron infusion. I did not see my baby in person till the next day.

It is a very overwhelming experience to see your baby so small and fragile- thinking that he still had 10 weeks left to grow inside my belly.
The staff and nurses were fantastic at the Royal and explained everything, even though I am a nurse myself. I stayed in the hospital for 7 days and was discharged with Charlie still in the NICU/special care.
Charlie required CPAP, a feeding tube, had a PICC line inserted at one stage, and caffeine for his prematurity. It was a journey for his lungs. He was on CPAP, then was intubated, then went back to CPAP, came off CPAP, then back on CPAP, then on oxygen before finally coming off respiratory support.

As I was not local, I was lodged nearby for a further 2 weeks, while my partner drove back and forth each day, before we were transferred back to Wollongong. Charlie then stayed in Wollongong for a further 3 weeks. His stay in the NICU/special care totalled 6 weeks exactly. Charlie came home with an NG tube for feeds but did so well, once home that it was only in for 1 week. Charlie has continued to thrive at home with the amazing care that he received from both hospitals.
The NICU staff are truly amazing people and made the whole experience that little bit easier for an already very tough journey.