As new mum Stephanie Auchterlonie was leaving the Special Care Baby Unit with her baby boy, a doctor told her she never thought he’d leave hospital.
Indeed there were many touch and go moments in the weeks leading up to baby Charlie finally being discharged from Victoria Hospital’s maternity unit in Kirkcaldy.
And Stephanie, from Cardenden in Fife, admits there were times when even she didn’t think her only child would survive.
“He was just so small,” the 35-year-old says.
“Charlie weighed just 635g (1lb 60z) so it was touch and go for a long time.
“He was born on December 13 2023, but his due date wasn’t until March 6 this year.
“He was in hospital for 81 days altogether and I finally got to take him home on March 2.
“The doctor told me the day we were discharged that she never thought she would see him coming home.
“She didn’t think he would survive.”
She added: “Everyone says he is a wee miracle and he definitely is.”
Possibility of a genetic disorder
Stephanie and former partner Alexander Richardson, 44, found out she was pregnant in June 2023.
But it wasn’t until her 20-week scan that they found out something might be wrong with Charlie.
“It was at the 20-week scan that we learned he had a right aortic arch,” she explains.
“This basically means the big vessel from his heart was branching to the right instead of the left.
“Doctors explained it could have happened because he might have a genetic disorder called DiGeorge syndrome.”
DiGeorge Syndrome is a condition present from birth that can cause a range of lifelong problems, including heart defects, speech and hearing issues and learning difficulties.
“It was scary being told this.”
But Stephanie didn’t want to have a test to determine whether the baby had a genetic disorder at this stage due to the risk of miscarriage.
“So we had to just wait until he was born to have tests done to find out for sure.”
Charlie was a very small baby
Doctors also discovered at Stephanie’s first growth scan at the Fife hospital that her baby wasn’t growing properly.
This was due to her placenta not working properly and this affected oxygen and nutrients getting to him.
The medical staff continued to monitor him.
But on the morning of December 11 2023 medics decided Stephanie needed to be transferred to the neonatal unit at Wishaw due to concerns about her baby’s condition.
Being transferred from Fife to Wishaw
That evening Stephanie was taken by ambulance to Wishaw’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Wishaw Neonatal provides the highest level of care to sick and extremely premature babies.
“It was a terrifying time and to be honest none of us thought he would make it,” she says.
“I arrived at Wishaw on the Monday evening and two days later, in the afternoon, on December 13, Charlie was born by emergency caesarean section.”
Stephanie recalls the moment he was born.
“They told me to be prepared for him going on a ventilator and they also told me he wouldn’t cry when he came out.
“He was taken immediately to the intensive care unit.
“But half an hour or so later they brought him over to me so I could see him.”
‘Miracle baby’ Charlie weighed just over one pound when born
Stephanie says: “As crazy as it sounds when I first saw him my first words were ‘oh my god it’s a real baby – it looks like a real baby!’
“I don’t know how to describe what I was expecting because I knew he was going to be so small.
“He weighed just 1lb 6oz.
“Later after I had spent some time in recovery, I was able to go see Charlie.
“He was this tiny wee thing in this big incubator.”
Charlie was attached to a machine helping to keep his lungs open and he was also being tube-fed.
On December 16 Stephanie was discharged from hospital.
But she was able to stay in a flat in the grounds of University Hospital Wishaw so she could see Charlie every day.
She told me she has never forgotten the day she first got to hold him properly.
“On December 18 I got to hold him for the first time and I will never forget it because it was my birthday.
“That was the day I got my first cuddle. It was really nice.”
First Christmas was ‘hard’
Stephanie remained in the flat over Christmas which was difficult.
“That first Christmas was hard,” she says.
“But my mum and dad came over and we spent the day with Charlie in the hospital.
“Staff tried to make it extra special for the parents of babies in the intensive care unit.
“One of the local schools had filled a box with gifts for Charlie and we got little presents.
“These included Christmas tree ornaments with Charlie’s footprints.
“It was nice having those things to keep and really made it special.”
Having the support of family
Stephanie’s mum and dad, Bernadette, 65, and Frank, 69, have been on hand to provide support for their daughter.
Bernadette said: “We followed the ambulance to Wishaw to make sure we were there for Stephanie and Sandy (Charlie’s dad).
“We felt worried and terrified for Charlie – about what might happen to him – and what it would do to Stephanie if he didn’t survive.
“We also knew Stephanie would need a lot of support to get through this.
“So we travelled to Wishaw every morning and stayed until late at night before and after Charlie was born.
“It was important to make sure Stephanie was eating and looking after herself so she could concentrate on Charlie.”
She continued: “When Charlie was born we were over the moon that he was breathing on his own, but terrified thinking how could someone with his tiny weight and size survive.
“Being told to take it hour by hour was hard.
“Watching him grow with no complications and watching Stephanie and Sandy start to have some hope made us feel better.”
Testing for DiGeorge Syndrome
Stephanie said after her son was born doctors tested Charlie for DiGeorge Syndrome and fortunately the results came back negative.
“It was such a relief and I felt like a big weight had come off my shoulders. I was just so glad he was going to be ok.”
Being able to take ‘miracle baby’ Charlie home
On January 2 2024 Charlie was deemed strong enough to be transferred to the neonatal unit at Victoria Hospital.
And Stephanie was finally able to take him home last month when his weight hit 4lb 10oz.
“I was really excited to get Charlie home but it was also a bit daunting because he was still very small.
“But they were very good at encouraging me to do things myself for him while in the hospital like changing his nappies and feeding him.”
Stephanie said at first it was ‘quite surreal’ having Charlie at home, but she soon found herself adapting to a new routine.
She said: “Charlie has been on an incredible journey – he is a little fighter.
“It was especially nice to wake up on Mother’s Day this year and seeing Charlie knowing how special it was to finally have him home.”
Mum Bernadette added: “Watching Stephanie now with Charlie and seeing her take motherhood in her stride makes us so proud.
“Everyday we look at Charlie and see what a little miracle he is to the whole family and how loved he is.”
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