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The Mums and Miracles behind the Event
The journey continues today for all of our Precious Premmies and their families, each of them having faced their own set of health challenges over the past 2 years.
Some of us have spent weeks in hospital with our premmies fighting off lung infections that for many healthy full-term babies equals a cold and few days at home.
We are all still on first name’s basis with our Paediatricians and for some, the nurses in the children’s wards have become friends. Physio and health clinics are a regular part of the routine. And several of us attend speech lessons.
Such is the life with a precious premmie, but we wouldn’t have it any other way, because to have them at all is a miracle!
Our journeys will continue for many years to come and it can often take 6 years for premmies to catch up to their full term counterparts.
We hope by sharing our stories with you it will touch your hearts and inspire you to embrace every moment of life and live like you have never lived before!
Jane Sadler and Baby Jack
Shannon McVey and Baby Hamish and Angel Baby Oliver
Serena Brook and Baby Riley
Anne-Marie Innes and Baby Amelia and Angel Baby Gabrielle
Marla Chong-Wah and Baby Marcus
It was just over two years ago that Jane Sadler’s life changed forever. On 21 January 2006 her son was born 4 months early. At just 24 weeks and weighing an unimaginable 716grams or 1lb 9oz Jack was so little his father’s wedding ring hung like a hoop over his arm.
"Before I had Jack I had no real understanding of what having a premature baby meant. I didn’t know that babies this little could survive or what treatment was involved” said Jane.
24 weeks is considered the medical cut off point for a ‘viable’ pregnancy. A week earlier and little Jack would have been considered too young to have a chance at life. This was Jane and her husband Will’s first Miracle.
Jane recalls from the second Jack was born his fight for life began. “We were thrown into a world where taking your baby home is not your first thought, but rather will he live another hour, and where life is measured by minutes and every one treasured.”
Baby Jack made it through those first crucial hours. He was a fighter. Hours became days and weeks and the miracles kept coming. There is so much to tell about life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit but Jane prefers to skip through the bad days and the tears to the part where their last miracle happened.
Four months after Jacks battle began and weighing in at a proud 2.3kgs, still only the size of a very small newborn, Jack went home.
Now 25 months on he is a happy healthy little boy with many people to thank. “It was only due to the amazing medical team at the hospital, their tireless efforts and the gritty determination and fighting spirit of our beautiful little boy, that Jack managed to overcome enormous hurdles to survive” said Jane.
It is this experience and in memory of the two babies lost by two of the other mums (they were from sets of twins) that motivated Jane to organise all of us to pull this event together. back to top
Shannon McVey and Baby Hamish and Angel Baby Oliver
After meeting, marrying, moving to London and falling pregnant with twins all in just 9 months, Shannon and Steven moved back to Australia before the births to be nearer to family. At the time they didn’t realise what an insightful decision this was. They were going to need all the family, friends and support they could.
They had only been back in the country for 2 weeks, with no house organised, no jobs started and no belongings when Shannon, at 29 weeks, was hospitalised with complications. The smallest of their twins, Oliver was experiencing inter-uterine growth restriction and the blood flow through his placenta had reversed.
They were told he could die in the two days it would take for the steroids Shannon was given to mature the twin’s lungs to take effect. To complicate things further a possible heart condition meant if delivered Oliver would die as his was to small for the life saving heart surgery he would need and would only live days.
If he remained in utero with his current condition he would also die. To deliver would put the healthy twin at huge risk, but they would have a chance to meet and say goodbye to their other son, or they could let Oliver die and give Hamish the best chance possible, a choice no one would want to be faced with.
“Those 48hours felt the worst of my life. My heart was ripped apart. We were in a no win situation”.
By some miracle Oliver’s heart was given the all clear by a cardiologist and the steroids which sometimes have the effect of temporarily correcting the blood flow problem, bought Oliver and Hamish an amazing 3 more weeks.
The twins were born on 7 February 2007, Oliver weighing 1036 grams and Hamish 1787 grams, good weights for the premmie world. Both were rushed to ICU where they spent the first weeks of their life. Both were on CPAP and required oxygen for sometime.
“I held Oliver on day 2, but it was 2 weeks before I was able to hold Hamish or to see his face for the first time. He was always covered in tubes”.
After 6 weeks Hamish went home, Oliver however remained in hospital. He had stopped improving and had developed a heart condition that would require surgery. Sadly at 11 weeks Oliver died following complications from surgery. He never came home.
“An experience like this gives you a reality check of how precious life is. Oliver never had a chance to know life outside those hospital walls. He will never grow up having dreams. His gift to us all is to inspire us to do that something we have been putting off, because we have been given life and because we can”.
“I spent everyday at the hospital by his side for 10 precious weeks. Hamish and I would travel everyday to be with him”.
“This lunch is very important to me and if we can help future families and their babies then this will mean something has come of Oliver’s death,” said Shannon.
“Hamish is a joyous and happy little boy who reminds us everyday of how lucky we are and our angel baby Oliver is in our hearts always”.
“Hamish now has another little brother Oscar, born in March 2007. What was I thinking, two under two! But they are the best of mates already and it was important that he have a sibling close to his age.”
With just 13 months separating the two, life for the McVey’s has got very busy indeed!
Riley was born at 26 weeks, 6 days gestation, weighing the unimaginable weight of just 597 grams.
Serena’s journey began 2 and half weeks before this Riley’s birth, she was in Sydney for a Hens Night and had woken that morning with a pain just below her chest. A girlfriend suggested it was indigestion and Serena should try some milk.
This worked for a little while, but the pain came back with a vengeance and at about 3 in the morning she was admitted to the Royal North Shore in Sydney with pre-eclampsia and was just over 24 weeks pregnant at the time. 24 weeks is the cut off point for a viable pregnancy, where it is considered the baby has a chance at surviving if born.
Serena’s husband flew down from Brisbane. She was given steroids for the baby’s lungs and on Tuesday there was a small window of opportunity to get the Brook family back to Brisbane.
They were home less than 12 hours, when the pain returned and Serena was hospitalised and diagnosed with HELLP Syndrome a rare and dangerous condition that affects the mother’s liver and platelets and can be fatal to mother and baby.
They hung on for another 2 weeks. Steroids continued to help with her condition and on 7th March at 5.17pm Riley was born by emergency caesarean. His condition had deteriorated. He stood a better chance of survival if born.
“I remember being wheeled into the ICN to see my beautiful baby boy his eyes wide open as I stroked his tiny little arms and talked to him for the first time” said Serena.
“I had my first cuddle on Day 3. Riley spent his first 10 weeks of life in the ICN, and about 4 weeks of this time being ventilated. He then had a further 5 weeks in the special care nurseries, before finally coming home on his 105th day of life. He came home on oxygen, and it was several more months before he was capable of managing without it. But really, the oxygen was the very least of our worries, as we were just so excited to have him home with us.”
“It has been a surreal experience and something that happens to other people, not to us. I look back on the experience now, and still can’t believe we’ve been through it really is one huge roller coaster ride.”
“Not being able to do anything but sit by his bedside each day waiting for him to open his beautiful eyes and look at you, make some sound or movement was so hard. I remember when he was having his time off CPAP; I loved it when he was awake, because it meant you were able to see his beautiful face without all the tubes covering up him up.”
The journey continues today with regular visits to the Oxygen Clinic at the Mater Children’s Hospital. Riley has had many feeding and weight worries since coming home and the Serena cannot thank the staff at both hospitals enough.
“They’ve thought nothing of me ringing up in a panic. Without them, I would have totally lost the plot a long time ago!”
“Riley is now 2 years old, and is doing well. He always has a smile on his face and is very much our little miracle!”
Anne-Marie Innes and Baby Amelia and Angel Baby Gabrielle
It was just over 2 years ago that Anne-Marie and her husband Shane’s life changed forever. On 26 February 2006 during a scheduled scan they were told one of their twins had died. After losing their first child just 12 months earlier, they were told Anne-Marie had HELLP syndrome, a rare and very serious disease that can be fatal to mother and child. The next 24 hours were a blur as they were rushed to the Mater Mother’s Hospital (MMH) in a bid to save both mother and baby’s lives.
"I remember feeling the room spin as our obstetrician told us I was booked for an emergency caesarean and I was to go straight to the MMH. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be, not again” said Anne-Marie.
At just 27 weeks and weighing an unimaginable 896 grams baby Amelia Jane was born at 3.31pm, her angel twin sister Gabrielle Lee one minute later weighing only 662 grams.
“I had no idea what lay ahead of us or what was involved with a having a premmie baby. It is a difficult journey filled with many ups and downs.”
Amelia spent 88 days in hospital and followed what the medical world consider the ‘usual’ premmie path: mechanical ventilation and oxygen dependency, umbilical catheter to monitor blood pressure, medication for heart problems, brain scans, I.V. antibiotics, a lumbar puncture and blood transfusions, this list goes on.
Anne-Marie recalls “Amelia’s Neonatologist was the second most important person in our life and the Intensive Care unit with its bright lights, alarms and monitors became my new home and the nurses, friends.”
“In that very intense situation I became very close to some of the other mothers, and I now consider these women to be amongst my closest friends and together we want to give something back to the hospital and to future mum’s and dad’s.”
I can’t bear to think where we would be now without the MMH Neonatal unit and often think that it wasn’t only Amelia’s life that they saved.”
The journey continues today for the Innes’ family with regular visits to the hospital and specialists. It can take up to 6 years for premmies to catch up to their full term counterparts. As this article goes to print we are all anxiously awaiting the delivery of Anne and Shane’s fourth baby and hoping and praying that it is the smooth delivery that they have waited so long for.
Marla Chong-Wah and Baby Marcus
It was just over 2 years ago that Mala and her partner James’ life changed forever. At just 22 weeks gestation on 27th December 2005 she was hospitalised on complete bed rest after suffering a Premature Rupture of Membrane. They were told at 22 weeks a baby's chances of survival were zero, 24 weeks is considered the medical cut off point for a viable birth. If Mala went into labour their son Marcus would die. This was devastating news.
To add to the heartache, doctor’s explained that if by some miracle Mala carried to a viable age baby Marcus was so small for his gestational age that his chances of survival were drastically reduced and to be prepared for the worst.
For the next painstaking 8 weeks they took each day at a time, the aim simple: to stay pregnant for as long as possible. Every day in the womb is critical as the chances of survival increase significantly with each 24 hours closer to full term.
Due to further complications baby Marcus was born by emergency caesarean section at just 30 weeks gestation, weighing a tiny 972 grams. He spent 10 long weeks in hospital and finally, weighing just 2.3 kg (the size of a tiny newborn) Marcus came home. Some days Mala and James didn’t know if they would ever take Marcus home.
“Marcus is now a happy, healthy 24 month old. Some days I pinch myself. It’s hard to believe we have come so far” said Mala.
“All of the mother’s shared extremely stressful and difficult times as our babies fought to live. They were in hospital for many weeks and some months after their births.”
This experience and taste of how finite life is, is what has motivated these five Brisbane mums to do something extraordinary, to give something back that will help many future generations of families.
“We all feel very strongly about giving something back and to show our deep appreciation and gratitude for the care provided by the hospital, and importantly to pay it forward to future mums and dad's and their babies.”