Comments on: My Amazing Airlie Fae – Premmie Baby Girl born at 27 Weeks

By: Fiona Dixon

Fiona Dixon — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:39:59 +0000

Hi Susan, Thanks for your comment. I hope you and Isla are well and I look forward to reading about your journey when you have your site up. Please send me a message when you have it up so I can come and read it. I have just had my 4th baby 2nd after Airlie’s birth and have just experienced pre eclampisa but in post delivery form. I have to say it was an completely different experience to Airlie’s birth and very scary as well. Take care and thanks again for the message xx

By: @Susan_SwanJames

@Susan_SwanJames — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 21:03:35 +0000

HI Fiona! Congratulations on writing out your NICU experience. Reading through your diary is like looking at my own time, especially having to have emergency c-section under anesthetic. Airlie is 2 weeks older than my Isla! I look forward to checking back to read your site. Soon, I’ll have my own up. I’m a little slow getting going to help other moms, but better late than ever. xo Susan

By: Fiona Dixon

Fiona Dixon — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:34:50 +0000

Jan I am so very sorry that baby Brody lost his battle. The NICU is such an inspiring yet sad place. I really want to thank you for being such a wonderful lady. I am really touched that you took the time to read my stories that I share. I want to send lots of love to yourself, Kellie, Mark, Connah and all your extended family and friends. If I can do anything at all to help or you are looking for support please let me know and I will see what I can find out about your region. I have to say your name sounds very familiar but I am not sure why? I did live in Dubbo for 5 years with my husband and son back in the early 2000′s so maybe we have actually met before? Thank you again for taking the time to leave these comments I truly appreciate your words and want you to know I have thought of you many times. Love Fiona xx

By: Jan Matterson

Jan Matterson — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 07:02:45 +0000

Hi Fiona,
After writing to you 24 August 2011, little Brody lost his battle for life on 7th September 2011. He was 42 days old and he showed such fighting spirit right until the very end. Brody died from an unrelated premature illness which was a bowel condition called Volvulus, ( twisted bowel). The condition didn’t become apparent until he became so sick and Brody’s surgical team did a life saving operation. Sadly little Brody didn’t make it through the surgery because all of his bowel had died and there was nothing more his surgical team could do for him. Kellie and Mark never gave up on their little man. They wanted Brody to tell them when enough was enough and that is when Kellie and Mark decided to turn the life support off. We can never ever repay or thank all his medical team both at RPA and Royal Womens hospital at Randwick enough for all they did for little Brody and the love and support they gave to Kellie and Mark throughout Brody’s treatment. Absolutely amazing people!!
Kellie and Mark are just as amazing. We had the most beautiful celebration of Brody’s journey of his short life on Wednesday 14th September 2011. His mummy got up at his funeral to introduce little Brody to the many friends and family and also to say goodbye to their little hero. Kellie did that with so much pride, love, strength and dignity in spite of their own agony of losing their little man. Brody will live in our hearts forever
!!
Your foundation has given many parents the courage faith and hope to help many parents get through the most difficult times that they face having a premature baby.
Kind regards Jan
Again Fiona , thank you for being such an inspiration.

By: Jan Matterson

Jan Matterson — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 03:36:01 +0000

Hi Fiona, thank you, your long journey and life experience with your tiny little girl that you have shared surely has been inspiring for so many parents going through the same thing. I think it’s wonderful support for those parents experiencing that rollercoaster of emotion of milestones and then the setbacks, predominantly these tiny prem babies are vulnerable to due to immaturity of their organs etc. A mutual friend actually sent me your website because on 27 July 2011, my daughter gave birth to my tiny grandson Brody and he was born at 26 weeks. He is such a little fighter and he has faced many obstacles with infections, lung, heart problems and latest as of last night was a blood transfusion. Still waiting to hear results of his kidney scan as he had depleted sodium levels. My daughter and her partner have endured that rollercoaster with little Brody. Yesterday morning they were celebrating Brody reaching the kilo club and then finding out he needed the transfusion. It’s very difficult also as they are from Dubbo and have a beautiful 21 month old litlle boy Connah that they miss very much and are fretful. Connah also misses them too and his other grandparents and I are sharing his care. We have been to Sydney twice since Brody’s birth and the goodbyes are very traumatic for Kellie Mark and little Connah. We are all trying to support them as much as we can but I am sure like you Kellie and Mark are getting lots of support from other parents and whole NICU team at RPA. They have been very caring. Amazing people, as you say we call strangers. I actually know what you all have been through as I also had a premmie baby girl and she was full of spirit and fought for her survival against all odds. That little girl today is now 27 years old and has 2 children of her own. The support my husband Erin and I received at John Spence NICU was wonderful and we owe Erin’s survival to them and will never forget them. Once Erin was finally released and we went home Erin spent her first 18 months in and out of hospital with lung problems and she had failure to thrive, eye and ear issues. I ended up having post natal depression and there was no support out there to help with all these premmie baby issues. Thank you for sharing your experience Fiona. I was wondering if there is a support network for premmie babies here in Dubbo as little Brody will face many obstacles after his release as he has chronic lung disease which means he will eventually come home with his own little oxygen tank. I think Kellie and Mark will need all support they can get. Could you please let me know if that support is available. God bless you Fiona Airlie and your family Jan xx

By: Fiona Dixon

Fiona Dixon — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:30:17 +0000

Shaliya I hope you and your premmie baby boy are okay? Feeling terrified is completely fine in the NICU as it is a scary time, especially when you first get in there and everything seems so foreign. I am so sorry to hear that your little boy had an infection in his intestine, was this NEC? I am also sad to hear that he had trouble with one of his lungs.
I am glad that reading Airlie’s story has made you feel hopeful of your son’s outcome due to premature birth. That is all I ever wanted from the start when I was setting up Moment by Moment. I wanted families who were experiencing the unexpected early arrival of a premature baby to find some comfort in knowing that there are stories out there that have happy and healthy children that were born prem. Even though this is a very confronting experience that we are never prepared for I am glad that I experienced it. That might sound insane but I don’t think I would be the person I am today with out this. It taught me to look outside my own little bubble I call life and see what others experience, not to judge others decisions until you know what it is like to walk in their shoes, to respect the medical profession who saved by my life and my daughters and above all to be grateful for pregnancy and for children as it is never guaranteed or a right it is a blessing and something we need to respect a whole lot more.
Please let me know how you are as I would love to hear how things are going. Take Care Fee xx

By: Fiona Dixon

Fiona Dixon — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:20:32 +0000

Hi Melissa, Thank you for taking the time to post this message. It has some how become lost in cyber space but it is here now! I hope you and your girls got through NICU. I would love an update on how the 3 of you are and hope that you are well. NICU is a pretty intense place but it is filled with such amazing people. You took me right back with your comment about being a jersey cow and the expressing too! I expressed straight for 8weeks every 3 hours and then breastfed Airlie till she was 21months. Take Care Fee xx

By: Melissa Bartlett

Melissa Bartlett — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 06:31:28 +0000

Hi Fiona, I came across your website searching for premmie baby clothes.. I am currently going thru a situation similar to yours.. I was admitted into hospital when i was 19 weeks pregnant with my twin girls after my doctor told me that i had a shorten cervix.. i was then put on strick bed rest with bathroom privledges only.. as my weeks progressed my cervix started to play up.. at 24 weeks my cervix dialated to 7cm and i was then rushed to the delivery suite and hooked up to the fetal monitor, cannular drip and was monitored every 4hrs with observations.. i had some braxton hicks happening but was kept into the delivery suite for two days before transfered back upto the antenatal suite.. Suddenly on the 21st January, 2011 i went into full labour with 20min contractions.. i was rushed immediately down into the delivery suite and hooked up to the machines again.. at this stage i was really scared and worried about what was going to happen to me and to my little girls.. the staff from nepean nicu was waiting in the waiting room prepared for when i went into full dialation.. it was 7am on the 22nd January, 2011 and i was in full dialation.. my little girls were born… Jessica was born 9:32am weighing 762gms 31cm and Elizabeth was born 9:41am weighing 662gms 33cm.. they are in the nicu nepean hospital at the moment.. they are in there for the next 10 weeks.. i am there every day and expressing my milk for the girls every 3-4 hours.. i feel like a real jersey cow that is on schedule all the time.. i don’t mind doing this cause i know my girls are going to get good antibodies and nourishment.. the team at the nepean nicu are fantastic and couldn’t ask for a better team.. so when i read your story it made my heart sink and brought tears to my eyes.. thanks for sharing your experience to us as the public.

By: shaliyah

shaliyah — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:08:39 +0000

I am so happy for you and your baby girl. The same exact thing happened to me 11 days ago. My son was born at 26 weeks weighing 1lb 6oz and currentky in the NICU. I am terrified. He had surgery his first week due to an infection in his intestine. Now there is a problem with one of his lungs. I am hopeful after reading your story and I pray every day, sometined every hour. I am doing the same thing, pumping away and hope that my lil man stays strong. God bless U!

By: Michelle Staley

Michelle Staley — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:57:00 +0000

Hello my dear friend! Reading this blog is like looking at my own pregnancy journal and experience. I cannot believe how similar our stories are. You must be my Twin from Down Under. I have had tears in my eyes the whole time I was reading your blog! My little red head was running around me as I was reading it, with all of the energy in the world! lol

Your daughter is such a little cutie and your son is so handsome! I know we both count our blessings every day! Thanks for sharing your story!