Kirsten Jordan and partner Matt Gallagher had excitedly marked November 22 on the calendar; It was their baby’s due date during what was a “straightforward, very easy and stress-free” pregnancy.
But a fishing trip in “glassed out conditions on the long weekend” when she was 33 weeks pregnant chartered a new course in Kirsten’s journey to motherhood.
“We’d taken the boat out at Seaforth that morning and all of a sudden I wasn’t feeling right and had very bad back pain – we went back to the boat ramp and as I was walking up to the car, I felt my waters break,” Kirsten said.
“I screamed for Matt when I saw the blood. We did our best to stay calm and immediately called 000 – we jumped straight in the car and headed for town and the ambulance met us on Seaforth-Yakapari Road.”
Kirsten had suffered a placental abruption, a serious pregnancy complication in which the placenta detaches from the womb. It’s a life-threatening condition which can deprive the baby of oxygen and nutrients.
“It was one of the scariest moments of my life,” Kirsten said.
“When we got to the hospital, the doctor initially hoped to hold off labour, but when both our vital signs suddenly seriously deteriorated, the decision was made that I needed to have an emergency caesarean.
“The hospital staff were amazing and really put us at ease despite the huge worry.”
Tiny Charlotte Jane Gallagher entered the world six weeks early on October 7 at 3.01pm weighing 5lbs 3oz (2300 grams).
Kirsten is now sharing her journey ahead of World Prematurity Day on Sunday 17 November.
As a moderately pre-term baby born at 33.3 weeks, Charlotte needed intensive care in the Special Care Nursery in the Mackay Base Hospital, but fortunately didn’t require transfer to Townsville’s neonatal unit.
Kirsten saw her newborn immediately after birth before she was whisked away by nursing staff. She wasn’t able to hold or cuddle her baby until three days later.
Charlotte was placed in a humidicrib to help regulate her body temperature and required oxygen and CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) to help her breathe as well as a nasogastric tube for feeding.
“Premature birth was never a thought in our minds but Matt and I are were just so grateful our girl was ok,” Kirsten said.
“I was released from hospital two days after she was born and not bringing our girl home with us then was the hardest thing we have ever done.
“But Charlotte was exactly where she needed to be, in hospital and getting the right care.
“We were told she faced quite a few weeks in the Special Care Nursery, but we had high hopes of having her home by her original due date – anything earlier was a blessing.”
Despite her early arrival and small birth size, Charlotte continued to thrive with the “wonderful care and positivity of the Special Care Nursery staff”.
“Her progress the first week was amazing – by Friday she was off CPAP and oxygen and was breathing on her own. It was so amazing seeing our beautiful girl without all those tubes on her face,” Kirsten said.
“She started with tube feeding 3ml – then in the first week she moved up to 24mls every 2 hours and gained 117 grams.”
By the time she was two weeks old, Charlotte was latching and breastfeeding three times a day with a 25ml top up afterwards. She was weighed and bathed every second day and wore clothes for the first time; “size 00000 although they were still huge on her.”
“The staff at the Mackay Base Hospital were sensational,” Kirsten said.
“From the anaesthetists to the theatre staff and the wonderful nurses in the special care nursery – we could not be happier with how well they treated us and took care of our girl.
“It hasn’t been easy; there’s been a lot of very difficult moments and times you feel very low, but we have so much to be grateful for, including the guidance and support of the staff in the nursery and our families.”
An unexpected and beautiful surprise came for the couple on 28 October when they finally got to take little Charlotte home after 21 days in the Special Care Nursery.
“I don’t think anything can prepare a parent for a prolonged special care nursery stay, but I know we all came out stronger together,” she said.
“We are just so in love with our little Lottie and are thrilled to finally be home as a family and well before we expected given her early arrival.
“She had a tough start but Charlotte is the strongest, bravest and most resilient little girl and we couldn’t be prouder.”
World Prematurity Day is 17 November.
