The smallest baby ever to be born in Wales, described as a “tiny warrior” by her parents, is going to be heading home after spending her entire life so far in hospital.
Baby Robyn was born weighing only 11oz (328g) and considered extremely premature at 23 weeks and two days.
As soon as she arrived, she was intubated and placed in a sandwich bag. This was done to keep her vital organs warm while she grew.
When she was born, her parents Chantelle, 33, and Daniel, 37, from Malpas, Newport, were able to hold her but they were worried about taking her out of the incubator in case she caught an infection.
“She knew we were there”
“We tried to limit our times of her coming out of the incubator. But every day we would put our hands in and let her know we were there, talked to her and she would grab your finger. It was lovely”, explained her Dad.
“She knew we were there. Talking to her and being with her. She knows that she’s loved and that keeps her going”.
Her Dad was very touched when she wrapped her little hand for the first time around his finger.
“Her hands were so, so small at the time. They were not even the size of the tips of our fingers, so she could just about put her hand over them. It was amazing, it was just so special”.
She is now expected to leave the NICU after 229 days of care. Her parents shared that it will be an emotional day for all of them to leave the hospital. All the staff acted like a family, keeping fighting with the little warrior.
A miracle baby
After being intubated, Robyn relied on a ventilator to breathe and faced another fight for her life when she developed sepsis. She had 16 blood transfusions and again against the odds survived.
“She’s still fighting through now and that’s why we’re keen to fight as much as we can”, said Daniel.
He concluded by affirming that “We definitely owe it to her because she’s the one that’s done the fighting all the way through, so we’ve got to fight for her now”.
Right To Life UK spokesperson, Catherine Robinson, said “Robyn’s story is a sign of great hope for all parents who have premature babies. It is also worth remembering that the abortion limit in the UK is currently 24 weeks. This extreme abortion time limit, which is twice the median time limit among EU countries, means that babies that are the same age as little Robyn in the womb can tragically have their lives ended by abortion”.
