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Watch: Family praise Cork hospital after premature baby born at just over 1lb celebrates 1st birthday

10 Jun

She was born at just 1lb, 2oz, after a 20-week scan prompted doctors to carry out an emergency C-section at Cork University Maternity Hospital.

Few babies have ever faced the kind of odds little Christina Radley was up against from the moment a surgical team intervened to save her life.

Christina spent her first 102 days in the neonatal intensive care unit at CUMH, her parents Maria and Johnathan keeping vigil by her side through all but three of those nights.

But Christina, who weighed just over two cups of sugar when she was born, has just celebrated her first birthday with her family in Waterford. And now they want to - again - thank the incredible team at CUMH and pay a little back so that other families may experience the same level of care.

Said mum Maria: “When you see what Christina was dealt with at the start of her life, and where she is now, it’s incredible.

“We never thought we’d get her home. We know she is a miracle baby.

“She survived because of medical science, state-of-the-art technology and the amazingly gifted people who cared for her.”

Maria, 32, and Jonathan, 38, from Cappoquin, Co Waterford, have organised the Big Walk For Little Lives next Saturday, June 18.

It’s in aid of CUMH’s neonatal ICU and the Bru Columbanus, a service that provides home from home accommodation for families of patients in Cork hospitals. The Radley family stayed there for 99 nights, to be near Christina, which would have cost thousands if they had to pay for it.

The Big Walk For Little Lives will trek 102 kilometres over 24 hours, to reflect the days Christina spent in hospital and the round-the-clock care she received.

“We will never have enough words to thank them and we feel it is the least we can do to raise awareness and funds of the facilities and the devoted people who work there.” said Maria.

The family’s extraordinary story began when Maria’s early pregnancy scans showed her baby was small.

Challenges were identified at the landmark 20 week scan, which showed intrauterine growth restriction was preventing vital supply between mother and baby.

Her consultant, Dr Matt Hewitt, put her on standby for an emergency C-section.

Said Maria: ‘He told me: ‘The minute we see baby compromised, we take baby. We’re going to section you.’”

Christina arrived by C-section on June 25, 2021. The issue was later identified as velamentous cord insertion, which prevents the umbilical cord fully attaching to the placenta.

She was 1lb 2oz, 27 weeks and four days gestation and 16cm long. Pictures of her shortly after her birth show her the same size as Maria’s hand.

Maria had a maternal instinct to hear her baby cry out. “The only thing in my head was: ‘Is my baby going to cry? What if we don’t hear a cry?

“She cried: and that’s all I wanted to hear.”

“She was taken to the ICU, which would be her new artificial womb. The incubators and all the equipment they use, it would blow you away.

“For a baby that would fit in your hand, they have devices that can get into her veins and airways.”

She had to go through a lot in those 102 days in the neo-natal ICU.

She had a CPAP machine providing a continuous supply of oxygen to keep her lungs open.

A line was placed on her umbilical cord to supply medication and nutrition.

A team of consultants on twice-daily rounds included consultants, dieticians, radiographers, physiotherapists, pharmacists and occupational therapists.

When she was three days old, she had a blood transfusion to increase her supply of oxygen.

She had six heart echoes for an open heart duct and a hole in the heart; and eight brain ultrasounds to monitor fluid caused by bruises and clots in the brain.

At 31 weeks, she had eye tests to ensure her oxygen dependency had not compromised her vision.

Maria and Jonathan could only hold her at rare times for short periods - holding premature babies is carefully assessed by medics as it is so energy-consuming for the tiny baby.

Christina finally came off oxygen at 84 days, and no longer needed to be tube-fed at 94 days.

She was brought home from CUMH after 102 days, when she got to properly meet her big brother, William, who is 11.

Maria says William adores his baby sister, who is a very placid baby and has grown well and healthy.

“She is a lovely baby, very calm, and sleeps all night. At the moment, it doesn’t seem that her early start has left her with any disabilities that we know of.

“Whether or not she has developmental challenges, time will tell. For now, she is doing everything she is supposed to be doing.

“We just feel incredibly lucky and thankful. I remember one day in ICU, when a baby beside Christina didn’t make it. A lot of people say she is a miracle baby, and she is.”

The Big Walk For Little Lives charity walk for neo-natal ICU and Bru Columbanus is on Saturday June 18, starting at the Railway Cafe, Waterford Greenway, Dungarvan, Co Waterford at 11am.

See idonate.ie for more.