After spending the first nine weeks of his life in the care of specialist paediatric teams, Jett Bella is heading home with his family just in time for Christmas.
Jett was born at 31 weeks to parents Roanna and Brendan Bella who said his discharge from Mackay Base Hospital is a Christmas wish come true.
“Christmas Day was Jett’s original due date but he arrived nine weeks early on October 23,” Roanna said.
“It was such a shock to have him so early, especially after his brother Axel was born on time and without complications.
“Jett and I were whisked away to Townsville University Hospital the night he was born where he was closely monitored in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
“We are just so happy to finally take him home and be together as a family.”
On the day of Jett’s birth, Roanna began having pains but put them down to braxton hicks false labour pains and went to work at Sarina Bendigo Bank thinking they would settle.
“I wasn’t too concerned but my colleagues were. I think I was in denial about what was happening but it was pretty obvious to everyone but me that they were labour pains,” she said.
“My manager drove me to Mackay Base Hospital and from there everything just happened very quickly, he was born about half an hour later.”
Roanna said the first few moments after Jett’s birth were quite frightening as she couldn’t hear him crying.
“It took me a while to ask if he was ok because I was just so shocked and scared but eventually he did cry and they said he was ok, he was breathing,” she said.
“He was placed in an incubator with CPAP to help with his breathing and that night the two of us were flown to Townsville.”
Brendan and Axel joined Roanna the next day and stayed close by at Ronald McDonald House while Jett was cared for at the NICU.
“We spent three weeks in Townsville to make sure he was growing and developing properly,” she said.
“Those weeks were really hard for us because we were away from home, constantly worried about his feeding, his weight, just everything.”
Jett arrived back in Mackay on November 11 where he continued to be monitored and cared for in the Special Care Nursery by the Base Hospital’s paediatric teams.
“He’s feeding well and he’s made some good weight gains so the doctors are happy for him to be going home.
“I’m just really looking forward to being home together, especially for Christmas.”
Roanna said she formed a special bond with the nursing staff after spending every day at the unit for almost six weeks.
“Having a premature baby means you just take it day by day and the staff have been so supportive and caring, they became like family,” she said.
