Baby Eloise, born weighing less than a pound at just 25 weeks gestation, has finally come home and is thriving after nearly five months in hospital.
At her mum Julia’s 18-week scan, doctors noticed that the baby was measuring small and her medical team became concerned about the possibility of preeclampsia.
Shortly after returning from a babymoon in Bermuda, Julia’s blood pressure spiked dangerously, and she was admitted to the hospital, where she was told she could be having her baby now.
Julia recalled, “I almost laughed because I was like, ‘I’m 23 weeks pregnant. That’s funny. I have a lot more time to go’”.
“I was diagnosed with severe early preeclampsia and from there it was basically myself and Eloise [that] had to be monitored around the clock to find out at what point it was too dangerous for me to stay pregnant with her anymore”, Julia said.
Her doctors decided to try to prolong the pregnancy for as long as safely possible to give her baby the best chance possible.
“[W]e were so close and she was so small that they truly felt that every day mattered to try and get a little bit further along”, Julia said.
After a tense 10 days of monitoring, Julia reached 25 weeks. Doctors concluded that the time had come to deliver her baby.
“I really believe that those 10 days are the reason why we have a healthy, beautiful baby here now”, Julia added.
Baby Eloise a “little trooper” after over 100 days in the hospital
Eloise was born weighing just 14 ounces and was immediately taken to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
John, Eloise’s father, described that, “She was in a medical-grade cellophane bag to maintain her temperature”. He recalled, “Even that was kind of tough to see all the machines and monitors, and that was the first time we experienced the beeping. It’s the constant beeping that you hear in your head, even when you leave the hospital”.
“I got to touch her. I actually have a picture. I was holding her tiny, tiny hand”, he added.
Eloise spent 106 days in the NICU, followed by a further six weeks in a special care unit. And after nearly five months, Eloise was finally able to go home with her parents, though she remained on oxygen and required a feeding tube.
Now, at nine months old and weighing just over 13lb, Eloise has beaten the odds and is thriving. She’s sleeping through the night, and has begun eating purées and even peanut butter. “[S]he’s just surpassed all of these odds. She’s done more than anyone could have expected. She’s a little trooper”, Julia said.
Reflecting on their journey, Julia and John expressed deep gratitude to the medical teams who cared for them. “They gave us 10 extra days of pregnancy and our daughter”, Julia said. “[E]very single person there really helped, and they feel like family”.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “Every life is precious, and Eloise’s journey is a powerful reminder of the inherent dignity of all human beings, regardless of their stage of development. Her fight for survival highlights why we must continue to advocate for the protection of all unborn children, recognising their right to life from the moment of conception”.
