With the lead up to World Prematurity Day fast approaching, Heartlands Hospital Charity wanted to raise awareness and funds for our smallest patients who, with the help of the Neonatal Unit have gone on to live happy and healthy lives.

Today the hospital charity is sharing Lily Fitzpatrick’s story. Lily’s mother Zoe had complications having Pre-eclampsia and was taken to Heartlands Hospital, both Zoe and her husband Steven feared the worst. Steven said: “We were told straight away that a cot was available at 25 weeks pregnant, we thought they were telling the wrong people. The doctors, midwives and nurses were amazing, trying to bring Zoe’s blood pressure down. They thought they had got it stable and moved Zoe to a ward, the next day however she had to go back to the delivery suite, it was then decided our little girl was going to have to be delivered. I was allowed to go in for the emergency C Section, Zoe and I were briefed and told that our baby would most probably not cry as her lungs were so tiny. What seemed like forever the doctors worked to bring our baby into the world, we waited and all of a sudden we heard the most amazing sound our little girl gave what seemed like a very loud cry.” Lily was born on 25 March 2010 weighing a tiny 610g.

After numerous complications, week by week Lily grew stronger and stronger, Steven said: “With each hospital room move we had, we became excited that we would finally be taking our baby home. The nurses weighed Lily just before the doctors did the rounds, she was just under 4lb when the doctors came they told us if Lily was to get to 4lb she could go home.
“The nurses and staff were willing her to put the extra weight on, the following day I asked the nurses to weigh her, we waited and with a look of excitement, we were told she had made it to her target weight. I was already packing her stuff as the doctors came round, they explained that Lily could finally come home, after giving us discharge notes and saying some very emotional goodbye’s I ran with Lily in her car seat out of the ward!

“Lily was in the Neonatal Unit for a total of 13 weeks from when she was born, she was given a 13% chance of survival, doctors, nurses and other staff that work on the ward were amazing, we’re friends through social media with many of them nearly 10 years on.”

Steven concluded: “We’ll always support the hospital charity and do what we can. We’re going to be baking cookies for our Prematuri-tea party and hopefully selling them for a wonderful cause.”
If you, like Steven, have a story that you would like to share to help raise awareness of World Prematurity Day please leave a comment below! Like the Fitzpatrick family you can take part in fundraising for our neonatal babies in your very own Prematuri-tea event, please visit: hospitalcharity.org/shop/product/prematuri-tea-2019

Back to news