Mother celebrates 100 days of neonatal care for her daughter as she praises ‘amazing’ NHS professionals

A Northampton mother wanted to speak out to celebrate her premature baby’s 100th day in neonatal units and to praise the “amazing” NHS care they have received.

Kate Wheeler and her partner David welcomed baby Olivia into the world prematurely on December 27 last year at 29 weeks.

Olivia was an extra small baby as she stopped growing at 20 weeks, nine weeks before she was born weighing just 584g.

Thursday (March 4) was Olivia’s 100th day in neonatal units since she was born in Oxford. She remained there for around a month before being transferred back to Northampton General Hospital.

Olivia is Kate and David’s first child after sadly experiencing baby losses previously.

When they found out she had stopped growing at 20 weeks, the medical professionals ran lots of tests to find out what was going on and Kate then had to attend twice-weekly scans in Oxford.

When Olivia reached 500 grams, she was delivered and Kate had been in hospital for two weeks prior to her birth.

“It was very scary,” Kate told the Chronicle & Echo. “I’ve had a lot of loss in the past and thought this was the time it was working for us. We couldn’t really plan and didn’t buy any baby stuff in case something bad happened.”

As Oxford is one of three hospitals in the country which cares for babies of Olivia’s weight and illness, Kate remained there for a considerable period of time.

She said: “It was very lonely over Christmas and my partner still had to go to work. I was there for two to two-and-a-half months on my own.”

It was a couple of weeks ago when Olivia was about to be discharged when she sadly became sick and they were transferred to Leicester Royal Infirmary – where they discovered septic arthritis, sepsis, a staph infection and the need for surgery for a hernia.

They began treating the infections and Olivia immediately started to improve. While the family waits for the all clear, they have been transferred back to Northampton to await Olivia’s hernia surgery date.

Kate was asked how grateful she is to the medical professionals that have contributed to her daughter’s road to recovery.

“She wouldn’t be here without them,” she said. “How they treat the babies and parents is just amazing. They are so supportive.”

Kate also praised the neonatal units in particular for “making everything as special as possible”. She received a care package on Mother’s Day and said they provide clothes for families who cannot afford to purchase them themselves.

Talking about how proud she is of baby Olivia for how she has battled all her complications, Kate said: “She amazes me everyday. She amazes everybody. Everyone thought the worst at one point.

“The only word is a trooper. She is so phenomenal and has grown so much.”

With many neonatal units relying on fundraising efforts and donations from the public, Kate encourages people to support their vital work if you can.