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World Prematurity Day : Interview with Laura Hillary, mother to Arthur...

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World Prematurity Day : Interview with Laura Hillary, mother to Arthur...

 

As it’s world’s prematurity day on the 17th of November, the team at Brown Paper Packages decided to speak to Laura Hillary. Her son Arthur is one the youngest premature babies in the UK to survive. 

 

Hi Laura, thanks for meeting with me today. Can you tell me about your experience? 

James my partner has Crohn's disease and I have Endometriosis which can affect fertility so when I found out I was pregnant I was so surprised! Everything seemed okay until at 23 weeks my waters broke. I was rushed into hospital, and we were given a 6% chance of survival for our baby. 

It was such a surreal moment when Arthur was born. His head was the size of a satsuma, and we were told to live hour by hour. We had many scares; we were told he had had a bleed on the brain and a hole in his heart which meant he couldn’t breathe without a ventilator.  

 

What would you say to new parents who have just had a premature baby?   

Firstly, I would say get involved in your baby’s care as much as possible. Ask your nurses for a schedule so you can be there for nappy changes, clothing changes etc.

Secondly, keep a notebook to note down any medical terms and query them. Also keep another notebook to note down all the lovely milestones your baby will make.  

Finally, don’t focus on how old your baby is from birth, focus on how old they should be if they had been born on time. This helps keep perspective on their development.  

 

Do you have any advice for friends and family? 

Some friends would say “we weren’t sure whether to send you a card as we didn’t want to upset you”. We didn’t know how long Arthur would be with us so wanted to celebrate his birth. Even if he’d only been around two weeks, having a card would have meant a lot to us.  The important thing to note is parents have still had a baby and want to celebrate them. My sister-in-law Helen and founder of Brown Paper Packages sent me one of their first care packages and it reminded me to take care of myself. 

 

What would you put in a care package for someone who’s just delivered a premature baby?  

  • Two diaries - one to note down medical terms and to record milestones.  
  • Disposable Camera - Some NICUs won't allow phones so this will enable you to capture those special moments with your baby 
  • Story books - We would always read to Arthur, whenever we did this, we could see on the monitors that his heart rate would steady.  
  • Premature Micro Nappies - These are essential, normal nappies obviously won’t fit a premature baby.  
  • Premature Clothing 
  • Bonding Squares - These are knitted squares that you and baby will wear separately for a day or so and then you swap them over so your baby can get used to your smell and you’ll feel closer to them. 

 

How have you spent World Prematurity Day in the past and how are you planning on spending it this year? 

 When we were in the ward, on World Prematurity Day we noticed children of all different ages coming into the hospital with teddies, books and purple balloons. We found out that these were all previous patients of the NICU, and the nurses said to us; next year you should come in with Arthur. The next year we did just that we met the parents of two twins that were in Arthur's incubator; we told them his story which provided them with a bit of hope. 

This year we are planning to do a sponsored walk and instead of presents for Arthur's birthday this year we have asked for donations for the NICU. Hopefully if covid restrictions allow Arthur can deliver the money raised himself! 

 

Most importantly how are you all doing and how is Arthur?  

Arthur was discharged at 111 days old which was the first time we spent time together on our own as a family. He’s recently just turned 4 years old and he’s doing brilliantly. It’s so easy to forget all that he’s been through.  Sometimes I won’t speak about it for months and then I’ll be reminded of how far he’s come. He has ongoing glasses checks and some bowel issues which may or may not be related but he’s doing so well. I can’t believe he’s four already and is starting school next year! 

 

What is one thing you’d like for people to take away from your experience?  

I would like people to know that preemie babies are the strongest fighters. Every tiny milestone is worth celebrating because those milestones lead to bigger ones.   

When I was in labour the doctors said to me that they would only intervene if Arthur showed a strong heartbeat. Incredibly, Arthur’s heartbeat was strong, and he fought from the beginning. 

 

 A big thank you to Laura for taking part in this interview. For more information, support and guidance from the Bliss charity: For babies born premature or sick click here.

 

 

By Christina @ Brown Paper Packages