Miracle Mumma
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“There is nothing we can do”: The Story of Baby Saige
Jemma was just 24 weeks & 2 days pregnant when she started cramping and feeling nauseous. She felt a leakage of fluids whilst in the shower and noticed a mucous discharge on her towel when she dried off. She knew something wasn’t right and was concerned, but had peace of mind knowing that she already had an appointment with her midwives that morning. At the appointment, the doctor performed an internal swab to check for the presence of amniotic fluid. This test was meant to give a result within 5 minutes, but it appeared it hadn’t worked. After 20 minutes, the test eventually came back negative and the doctors felt confident to let Jemma go home with a diagnosis of possible Braxton Hicks. A friend of Jemma’s came over to be with her and was concerned when the pain worsened. Jemma knew “it didn’t feel right”, but kept blowing it off – she had already been given the all clear. Jemma’s friend convinced her to go and get her Mum, who then decided to take her back to the hospital. Jemma went to get some things and threw up on herself, and not long after, she went to the toilet but was unable to get back up. The pain was unbearable. -
“The fear of history repeating itself was always in the back of my mind”: The story of Rainbow Baby Isobel
WARNING: this article contains content and images that some readers may find distressing and may trigger previous trauma
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Sophie has a didelphic (double) uterus which was discovered during her first pregnancy. A didelphic uterus is similar to a bicornuate (heart shaped) uterus which generally has positive outcomes for pregnancy, so she was treated like a normal patient. However, at just 23 weeks pregnant, Sophie started having back pain which progressively worsened throughout the day. At 8pm, Sophie and her husband Chris decided to go to the hospital to check everything was ok. When they arrived, the resident was asking her routine questions such as what she had been eating that day, and it wasn’t clear what was actually happening until the on-call obstetrician arrived. When the doctors performed an internal exam to check for amniotic fluid, Sophie’s waters broke...
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“He is more likely to pass away than live”: the story of baby Ledger
Hannah’s pregnancy started out perfectly. She was nervous but extremely excited to be carrying her first baby and never expected any complications. But at just 10 weeks’ gestation, Hannah started bleeding and rushed herself to the hospital. She was seen immediately, had a quick ultrasound which showed a healthy baby, and was sent home with a diagnosis of implantation bleeding. From that moment until 22 weeks’ gestation, she was in and out of hospital weekly with issues and was continually told her discomfort and bleeding was normal and to go home. But at just 22 weeks, Hannah experienced a pre-term premature rupture of membranes (PPROM). -
Behind the Scenes at Miracle Mumma
Our 30-weeker and inspiration for Miracle Mumma, James, recently turned ONE! We got some beautiful photos and I thought this would be the perfect time to introduce my family & our story to my new followers. Most of my recent followers would have subscribed to our website via an article or news story, so you may already know the basics. I will give another quick run-down on these, and then tell you some things about us you probably wouldn’t know. -
To 18-year-old James : a letter to my son on his 1st Birthday
On your first birthday, we asked our family and friends to place an item into a time capsule that you would open on your 18th Birthday. We hope these memories are something you will treasure and will give you some insight into the first year of your life. As your Mum and Dad, we decided to include this letter (along with some keepsakes from your big day) which describes our rollercoaster journey to becoming a family of three, as well as your fun personality, your unique behaviours and a few of your favourite things. We want to include the little things we probably won’t remember by the time you turn 18. -
The difference between 'he's so tiny' and 'he's come so far' is a SuperMum cape...
For the first 6 months of James’ life, I was constantly anxious about his weight. I’ve written about this before – it was consuming, and it was magnified by the comments I received every single day from strangers about how ‘tiny’ he was. I would defend him, telling people our story and explaining that he was ‘technically’ only X weeks old. Some people got it, and others continued to say ‘but I just can’t BELIEVE he’s 4 months’, like…yes dear you’re right, I’m lying to you. Gotcha! Sometimes I’d even have to remind people who already knew our story that James would take a while to catch up, because, you know, that whole thing where he arrived 10 weeks early and he was fed through a tube & fought for his life... -
When your passion turns into purpose, and others just 'get it'
When I started Miracle Mumma, I had no idea how invested I would become. I mean, I knew I was passionate…this was a dream I had poured my heart and soul into for months and I was jumping out of my skin to share it with the world. But when I received my first order, I was suddenly emotionally invested in a way I never expected. My first customer was way more than just ‘my first customer’. I wanted to know her story and share her journey. I wanted to be there for her and let her know that she wasn’t alone. I wanted to make this time easier for her. Meanwhile, she was probably freaking out thinking ‘who IS this crazy stalker girl’!? And then my second order came, and my third, and I had started to grow a little network of people who were slowly becoming my second family... -
Six things I learnt about premature babies whilst in NICU
One in 10 babies are born too soon, and premature birth is the leading cause of death of children under five. My personal experience with pre-term birth (and the high risk of this happening to us again) means raising awareness of prematurity and these shocking statstics is extremely important to me. In honour of our very own miracle, James, I want to share six things I learnt about premature babies throughout our NICU stay. I hope this helps others better comprehend the phenomenon of a baby born too soon. -
My wife had a miscarriage: one Dad’s brave story
An amazing friend of mine opened up and wrote down his emotional story after his wife experienced an ectopic pregnancy. He passed it onto me and (after some minor editing) I’m extremely proud to share it with you all now. We often forget to consider how men experience this heartbreaking journey, and generally they put their feelings aside and struggle to hold it together for their partner. Please remember: Dad’s grieve too. Let’s encourage men to speak out, or at least let them know it’s ok to fall apart. -
James does hospital (Round 2)
James was recently back in hospital for a night. He got a runny nose Friday night, and by Saturday night he was struggling to breathe. James had most likely developed a virus such as the common cold, but being premature meant his lungs were vulnerable and at higher risk for further complications such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia. On Sunday morning when he wasn’t improving, we decided to take him to the local doctor for our own peace of mind. The doctor was concerned with the effort James was using to breathe, and he could hear some wheezes and crackles in the base of his lungs. We were sent for an x-ray and the radiologist saw patchy spots reinforcing the earlier concerns of pneumonia. The doctor sent us to hospital immediately, and despite being a nurse and caring for babies with these conditions daily, I broke down in tears. I wasn’t sure whether it was the diagnosis, or the fear of going back to hospital where we had anxiously spent the first five weeks of his life. -
Infertility is an ugly word, and it made me an ugly person...
For two years my life was consumed by ovulation tracking, mucous monitoring, blood tests, ultrasounds, hormones and planned intercourse.
I had no control over the final outcome, yet it was controlling every aspect of my life. Eventually, I became unrecognisable … a scared, broken version of my former self. I withdrew from the people who loved me most, and I felt anger towards people I had never met. But I disliked myself the most. -
How to help your friend who has a baby in NICU
Before James, I would have had no idea where to start or even how to behave if someone I knew had a baby in NICU. It’s a different world that cannot be understood until experienced. And it’s certainly not your typical ‘congratulations on your baby’ experience where you visit just days later and get squishy cuddles and a cup of tea. In fact, you don’t even know whether you should be happy or sad. But this shouldn’t stop you from reaching out and showing your support. I’m hoping this blog will help you find a way to be there for your friends or family while also respecting their space at such an emotional and delicate time.
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