A Winchelsea woman is sharing her experience pf giving birth to a premature baby ahead of Geelong’s Walk for Prems fundraising challenge next week.
It was at Danni Menzies’ 20-week scan during her second pregnancy when she was told that her daughter Evelyn wasn’t moving and that they should prepare for the baby not to survive.
Six weeks later after many hospital visits, Ms Menzies was admitted to hospital so doctors could monitor the health of mum and baby before undergoing an emergency c-section at 29 weeks.
Evelyn was diagnosed with severe intrauterine fetal growth restriction (where a baby grows slower than expected in the womb) and was born weighing 602 grams.
“Evelyn was tiny and she had to have a breathing tube put in because she couldn’t breathe on her own, and then off she went to the NICU,” Ms Menzies said.
“There are photos of me meeting her, but I can’t really remember because it was a traumatic time and I didn’t get to meet her until about seven hours later, as I was still quite unwell and not stable after the birth.”
Evelyn spent 135 days in hospital and required 24/7 oxygen and a feeding tube until after she was one year old. She is now almost two and has just started to walk.
Following the experience, Ms Menzies and her family will participate in the Walk for Prems: The Mighty Trek Challenge in Geelong.
“Regardless of the time that you’re in hospital, it is a marathon as things change very quickly and you’ve got no control, which is really hard as a parent,” she said.
“I’ll be pushing the incubator that kept Evelyn alive for five kilometres, so that is a great visual representation of the fragile vulnerability of babies that need to be kept alive in those incubators.”
Walk for Prems is at Anthony Costa Oval on Tuesday 21 October and aims to raise money to support families with premature and sick babies through Life’s Little Treasurers Foundation.
