‘I could only cuddle Isla for six minutes before she was taken to a ventilator’ (Picture: SWNS)
Baby Isla was born at 23 weeks weighing just 535g.
The odds that she would survive were slim, with doctors giving her a mere 10% chance of survival.
But Isla has beaten the odds and, after spending the first five months of her life in hospital, has finally gone home.
Lauren Ormston, 27, and her fiancé Oliver Dewey, 31, were reassured at a 20-week scan that ‘everything was fine’ with their baby.
However, just three weeks later, she gave birth after going into premature labour at St Peter’s Hospital, Surrey, on 4th March 2022.
Lauren with fiancé Oliver and baby Isla (Picture: Lauren Ormston / SWNS)
Isla was given just a 10% chance of surviving (Picture: Lauren Ormston / SWNS)
‘I could only cuddle Isla for six minutes before she was taken to a ventilato’ (Picture: Lauren Ormston / SWNS)
Lauren’s pregnancy was initially smooth sailing, but when she started feeling stomach cramps, her GP recommended she head to Frimley Park Hospital, Camberley, Surrey, for tests.
Lauren, from Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, said: ‘I started getting terrible stomach pains and I just thought the baby was moving around, but when the pain intensified, I knew something was wrong.’
When Lauren arrived at the hospital, she was told she was in labour, and medics gave the heartbreaking news that the baby had just a 10% chance of survival.
Lauren said: ‘They suggested getting transferred to a bigger hospital which would increase the chance to 30%.
‘It was terrifying.
‘But I had to take the chance, and I’m so glad I did.
‘The birth was easy, and I only had gas and air.
She was so tiny (Picture: Lauren Ormston / SWNS)
‘I was so worried, but I knew my baby girl was a fighte’ (Picture: Lauren Ormston / SWNS)
‘It’s a miracle that she survived’ (Picture: Lauren Ormston / SWNS)
‘I could only cuddle Isla for six minutes before she was taken to a ventilator.
‘She looked so small and fragile, like she would snap at the slightest bit of movement.
‘I was so worried, but I knew my baby girl was a fighter.
‘It’s a miracle that she survived.’
‘I lived each day, never knowing if she would make it, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute’ (Picture: Lauren Ormston / SWNS)
She went blind in her right eye (Picture: Lauren Ormston / SWNS)
The family leaving hospital (Picture: Lauren Ormston / SWNS)
Isla needed to be put on a ventilator when she was born, as she was unable to breathe on her own.
Lauren said: ‘Her skin was transparent, I could see every little vein within her body.
‘I lived each day, never knowing if she would make it, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.
‘After six weeks, she came off the ventilator but needed an oxygen mask over her face.
A silly little lady (Picture: Lauren Ormston / SWNS)
‘It was a rollercoaster’ (Picture: Lauren Ormston / SWNS)
‘We had our first cuddle, and her little hand was barely the size of the tip of my husband’s pinky finger.’
When she was two months old, Isla’s right retina detached.
She underwent surgery to try and repair it on 15 June 2022, but the operation was unsuccessful, which meant Isla lost vision in that eye.
Lauren said: ‘Out of everything that Isla battled to just be alive, losing an eye isn’t the worse that could’ve happened.
‘Isla’s right eye is still functional and can move, but the detachment of the retina means that Isla has lost all vision.
‘We are so proud of her for fighting’ (Picture: Lauren Ormston / SWNS)
Finally, on 12 July, Isla, who’s now eight months old was able to leave the hospital and spend the night in her own room for the very first time.
Lauren said: ‘It was a rollercoaster, and I’m so over the moon that Isla is home and happy.
‘I’m still in disbelief that our scan at 20 weeks came back fine, and I was rushed to hospital just two weeks later.
‘It’s so important to pay attention to those pains and trust your gut.
‘She was so tiny when she was born, it felt like she’d never make it, but to see her now is like a miracle.
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‘Isla is a bundle of joy, and we couldn’t be happier with the little girl we have now.
‘We plan on taking Isla on a trip now that she’s off assisted oxygen.
‘We are so proud of her for fighting, and now we get to enjoy every minute in the comfort of our own home.’
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Doctors gave baby Isla just a 10% chance of survival.
