A premature baby boy who was born without kidneys had to spend almost 200 days in hospital before finally going home.
When Ally Abbott became pregnant for the first time at the age of 21, she experienced an “overwhelming feeling of anxiety” due to wanting to ensure she was doing everything “the right way”.
However, at her 20-week pregnancy scan, Ally found out that her baby had bilateral renal agenesis, a rare condition where both kidneys do not develop.
“I just couldn’t believe that this was happening to us”, Ally recalled. “I never did come to understand how this was going to be part of our story. For this diagnosis to be so rare, why would this happen to me?”
She described how much this diagnosis affected her, saying her “whole reality had shifted at this point”.
“I quit work, I stopped eating, and literally stayed on the couch for weeks without doing anything. I had even made him a ‘memorial’ table because that’s what the doctors told me to do”, Ally revealed.
Despite being told to expect the worst, Ally did not give up on her unborn baby and decided to fight for him, saying, “I believed my baby deserved a chance, just like every other baby, regardless of his diagnosis”.
“I knew in my heart I had to do what is right, and do everything possible for him, regardless of what the outcome could be”, the mother added.
Ally travelled more than 1,300 miles every week to get treatment for her unborn son
Ally researched what she could do to help, and discovered a small programme, over 1,300 miles away from where she lived, which offered a treatment to help her son. She decided that the journey was worth it, and at 24 weeks’ gestation, began making the long trip every week for only a 20-minute appointment. Despite the long journeys, Ally said she was “happy during the process”.
“I could see my baby getting the fluid. I could see him drinking it. I could finally see him breathing”, she explained.
Baby River was able to develop for a few more weeks in the womb thanks to this treatment, but he was eventually born prematurely on Thanksgiving, weighing only 3.1lb. He was not breathing and had to be resuscitated.
After being born, baby River and Ally were airlifted to a specialist neonatal intensive care unit that could help them both.
For the next several months, medical professionals at the hospital worked tirelessly to help save River’s life.
“I have been through a lot, but nothing has ever compared to the NICU life. That is a battle within itself”, Ally said.
Finally, after 195 days, the new mother was able to bring her son home from the hospital.
“I just kept thinking about how multiple doctors told me my baby would not survive at all, and now he was home with me”, Ally explained.
“I knew my baby was nothing short of a miracle. I felt so lucky and blessed that we have made it this far. It still feels unreal when I sit down and think about everything we both have been through”, she added.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “We are full of admiration for Ally Abbott fighting so hard for her unborn child. She is inspirational”.
“Unborn children are voiceless, and it is up to us to fight for their right to life”.
