When Nicola’s waters broke at just 21 weeks and six days pregnant, she knew there was a high chance she could lose her baby.
For nine long weeks, Nicola took antibiotics, was in and out of hospital and required constant monitoring—including four-hourly temperature checks.
Instead of being able to take her three year old son to the park, she was on strict bed rest.
Despite strict bedrest, nine weeks later Nicola suffered a placental abruption and was rushed to Mater Mothers’ Hospital in Brisbane where her newborn son, Parker, was born by emergency caesarean.
“It’s clichéd to say it was a miracle … but it’s true,” Nicola said.
“The statistics for him surviving were down to single digits. I knew that the longer Parker and I held on to each other, the better his chances would be.”
Rushed to Mater’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Parker needed help to breathe.
The following day, a bowel obstruction prompted doctors to make the difficult decision to operate, providing Parker with a colostomy bag so his tiny body could concentrate on growing.
But his precious little body couldn’t cope with the demands of surgery and he needed resuscitating.
“I was holding Parker’s hand and he was just slipping away. It was the most traumatic experience of my life watching the doctors and nurses bring him back and keep him breathing.
“My husband and I clung to one another wondering if we should go outside or stay and watch. It was every mother’s worst nightmare coming true.”