Ethan's Story, 29 Weeks
Miracle Mum, Amy shares Ethan's story.
"My pregnancy was quite easy and routine however bub was always measuring small from our original dating scan, but it wasn't anything they were worried about - that was until I had a scan at 28 weeks where things started to change.
Ethan's heartbeat started to change, so I was sent straight to Wollongong Hospital but as they weren't exactly sure what the best option would be for both of us they sent us to Liverpool Hospital. Here is where I was scanned three times daily to keep an eye on the heart condition. It turned out he was severely anemic which is why his heart was beating fast; just to keep up the supply of blood his body needed. This meant he had to have a blood transfusion in utero.
That day was the hardest day we had ever had - not knowing what was going to happen and having to make decisions that only gave a 50% chance of either outcome. Ethan improved so they were happy, until two days later when the condition started to get worse. This was when the doctors gave us the option to leave him in or take him out with the same 50% outcome. Taking him out seemed like the option that would give our son his best chance. It was.
He was taken out via emergency c-section at 29+5 weeks weighing 1.02kgs. He was given the treatment he needed right away and spent the next eight weeks in Liverpool NICU before being transferred to Wollongong special care for another four weeks before being able to go home. He spent 90 days exactly in hospital.
During our stay Miracle Babies came around everyday to keep checking in and to just have someone to talk with. As beautiful as our nurses were they had a job to do, so it was nice finding comfort in the lovely ladies who came around every day just to check in.
My silver lining about spending so much time in the NICU is that we have made friends for life in the other parents and babies that were in the beds beside us and cheered each other on for every milestone our babies made each day.
Ethan was born with complications and has special needs and is an amazing little boy who is super strong and thriving in his own way. I wouldn't trade him for the world."
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