Miracle mum Laura shares Satori's story:

In late November 2014, I was at Westmead Hospital progressing through my scheduled induction at 41 weeks with my first child, Satori. After breaking my waters, the midwife noticed some meconium which they advised was normal for overdue babies. Following 15 long hours of contractions and active labour, I was still only 5 cm dilated, and Satori’s heart rate was dropping due to distress, so they rushed me in for an emergency c-section.
Satori was delivered at exactly midnight on Sunday 23 November. Being overdue, she was 4.3 kg and 52 cm, but not healthy has we had hoped. When I woke up from surgery later that morning, they wheeled down to the NICU where they told my husband and I that Satori had suffered from septic shock during the labour. When we were provided further information on sepsis and how serious Satori’s condition was, we were shattered. I can still remember one of the nurses telling us, “Whatever God you believe in, start praying. She’s very sick.”. We were advised to call a priest if we wanted to, and they sent in a social worker who talked us through our options. It was all just a blur, and I recall ignoring the social worker, simply because I didn’t want to believe that we could lose our baby girl.
Satori was kept sedated in able to allow them to run numerous tests and administer various treatments of antibiotics, they had to order in a huge and loud machine to help her breathe. She also had poor sucking skills, so needed an NG feeding tube. Every minute was a milestone for us, and we are forever grateful for the NICU team at Westmead for everything they did for Satori.
After two weeks, Satori was making slow progress and we were able to hold her for the first time, though she wasn’t completely out of the woods. All the NICU nurses fought to be on Satori’s schedule so they could give her cuddles, as she was the biggest and cuddliest baby in the room!
I was discharged, and we had to go home without our baby. Satori spent her first Christmas in NICU, but we made the most of it and the team at Westmead made it as magical as possible.
Satori continued to make steady progress, and she was discharged from the NICU just shy of two-months-old on 5 January 2015. She still had poor feeding skills, so had the NG tube until she was almost 7-months-old, and with the help of a speech pathologist, she was gaining weight being able to start on purée and thickened milk.
She also had to attend physiotherapy sessions, as her gross motor skills and muscle mass were underdeveloped due to being sedated for such a prolonged period.
Satori now loves to dance and brings us all such joy with her spark and energy. Ahead of her 10th birthday, I’m choosing to share her story. Because of her, I truly believe in miracles, and I believe that there is every reason for other parents in NICU to have hope.