A Guiding Hand for Families in Special Care Nurseries - Digital - Book - Page 27
Special Care Nursery (SCN)
Parent Story:
Helen and Baby Ava
“
It was Sunday the 26th April and I was out to brunch with girlfriends.
That morning I had woken up feeling unwell. In the weeks leading up
to this day, my blood pressure was steadily going up, so I suspected
this was the issue. After brunch, I went to the
hospital to get checked out. We arrived at
1:00pm and by 3:20pm our baby girl, Ava,
was born via emergency c section at 35
weeks, weighing in at 1.8 kgs.
My first two nights were spent in Intensive
Care suffering the after effects of preeclampsia as well as an emergency delivery.
The first night the nurses brought Ava to
me in her humidicrib. She was tiny and covered in tubes. I felt so
emotional and couldn’t believe that was actually my baby and it was
so incredibly hard being separated from her straight after her birth.
Ava spent her first two weeks in the Special Care Nursery. I was terribly
anxious about my own health, and my daughter’s, and it was hard
leaving Ava there and having others take care of her. Coming and
going from the hospital was tough, we were tired and struggling with
the separation. Thank goodness for the staff at North Shore Private –
they taught us so much, made us feel normal and showed genuine care
for Ava. We realised coming out of there just how much we had learnt
about caring for our baby, so every cloud does have a sliver lining!
On Mother’s Day, she was two weeks old and reached the magic 2kg
mark so we were able to take her home!
‘Fast forward 12 months and our little girl is thriving. She’s a strong,
vibrant girl who is cheeky and full of life. I am grateful for our journey
and feel so lucky to be blessed with our little fighter. It has made us
appreciate what we have and not take anything for granted!
Life’s Little Treasures Foundation | Supporting Families of Premature & Sick Babies
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