It’s one thing to hear that miracles happen every day, but there’s nothing like experiencing one firsthand.
Before Ellie Paton and Brandon Stibbles could experience their miracle, they first underwent one of the most stressful times of their lives.
It all started when Ellie was just 20 weeks pregnant and was getting a scan at the doctor’s office. The doctors told her that her placenta wasn’t feeding baby Hannah properly. They monitored the soon-to-be mom for a couple of weeks, but things took a turn for the worst when Ellie began having stomach pains that sent her to the hospital.
She was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a condition that raises a woman’s blood pressure so dangerously high that it can damage the liver and kidneys and even lead to death for the mom or her child.
Ellie’s only option at that point was to transfer to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where specialists would do their best to deliver her child, though Hannah’s survival was unlikely.
“It was made very clear to us that there was no hope for her at all. They prepared us completely for the worst, telling us they would need to resuscitate her and then said they would focus on making sure Ellie was OK,” Brandon said. “There were five doctors in the room and all of them were telling us she would very likely die. They said she only had a 20 percent chance of survival because she was so small.”
Despite their child’s abysmal odds, the couple didn’t lose hope. They took their first sigh of relief when 11-ounce Hannah was born breathing on her own.
“As soon as she was born they took her to NICU but she didn’t need to be resuscitated so that gave us hope straight away,” Ellie said. “We knew she was a fighter.”
Since then, Hannah has remained at the hospital, where she has been cradled in bubble wrap to keep her warm. She is also on medicine to help her lungs develop. Yet despite the uphill battle she will continue to face, baby Hannah is defying the odds.
Despite her health issues, her brain and heart scans haven’t shown any abnormalities, and the vitamins she’s being fed through a tube have helped her gain 25 grams. She’s even taken to a bit of her mom’s breastmilk!
“We are just taking one day at a time. So the first aim is to get Hannah to Crosshouse (a hospital near their home) then our next aim is to get her home,” Ellie said. “She seems determined to get there with us.”
We’re wishing Hannah a speedy recovery and a joyful homecoming! Share this article with a friend to remind them that miracles are possible.
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