A premature baby boy, who was born extremely prematurely at only 23 weeks, has finally left the hospital after 230 days.
Baby Freddie, who was born weighing only 1.3lbs, has finally been able to go home after a tough 230 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
During this time, Freddie underwent five operations, having developed necrotising enterocolitis, a severe intestinal condition in which tissues in the intestine become inflamed and start to die. Freddie underwent an operation only four weeks after he had been born to remove part of his intestine affected by the condition, resulting in him having a stoma for six months. In addition to this, Freddie suffered from sepsis, jaundice, and suspected meningitis, as well as being placed on a ventilator for eight weeks.
In spite of all these health issues, baby Freddie was able to go home in September without the need for feeding tubes or supplemental oxygen.
“Freddie has really been through it. We got over one hurdle and something else was thrown in his way. But he’s fought through everything that was put in front of him”, his mother, Lucy, said.
“He was just so brave. It wasn’t easy for him at all. We were told even months into his journey in the NICU that he still wasn’t going to make it because he was just so, so poorly”.
“But then he’s just been so strong and fought against all the odds thrown at him, all the infections, he’s had sepsis, everything you can imagine he basically had to deal with”.
“You know with the ventilator that it is life saving for him. But it’s such a horrible thing to witness. You can’t really hold them while it’s in as it is a lifeline”.
Speaking on how tough it is having a very premature baby, Lucy said, “On my lowest days, I used to search the internet, just looking for positive stories because all I was being told by the doctors was he’s not going to survive”.
“So, I just wanted to share some hope for other people: even if the doctors are preparing you for the worst, it doesn’t mean that’s always the case because he’s proof, he did make it”.
“Miracles do happen”, she said.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “Freddie’s inspiring story of beating so many different illnesses and conditions highlights how medical advances are supporting premature babies to survive and thrive”.
“It is time for a serious conversation to happen to lower the gestational age time limit at which abortions can occur, which currently sits at 24 weeks in England and Wales, given babies are increasingly able to survive at this age outside the womb”.
