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Mireya

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When little Mireya was born, she was very unwell. She’d become so ill in the womb, with her body holding water in and around her lungs, that she had to be born early. For her parents, Autumn and James, it was a terrifying time full of unknowns – but Mireya has fought every day to get better. This is her story. 

“Mireya was born at 34 weeks and five days, and was very poorly. She’d weighed just over 5lb, but at least a few ounces of that was all the water she’d retained. 

While pregnant, we received an awful diagnosis that our baby had pleural effusion and was hydropic. This meant she had fluid around her lungs and was holding too much fluid in her body, which ended up crushing and deflating her lungs from the pressure. She was very ill, and we were sent straight from our local hospital in Derriford to St Michael’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). There, she had a complex, life-saving procedure while still in my womb. The most wonderful fetal medicine specialist, Victoria, put a shunt into Mireya while she was still inside me.  

The amazing team NICU managed to keep me pregnant for a further two weeks, until our baby girl decided to make a dramatic entrance into the world through an emergency c-section.  

From the minute she was born, the whole team sprang into action to save our little girl’s life.

Autumn, Mireya’s mum

She stopped breathing just moments after her birth, but the team resuscitated her. They inserted another chest drain to remove the fluid around her lungs and placed her on a ventilator. She spent the next seven weeks in NICU. 

It was after her birth that we received the diagnosis of chylothorax: a very rare and complex condition, where fluid leaks into the space between the lung and her chest. The fluid buildup around her lungs made breathing painful and difficult. Feeding her became almost impossible because she had a breathing tube in and whenever she ate, the fluid leaking into her body became worse. So, for weeks, Mireya went ‘nil by mouth’ and couldn’t eat. 

In NICU, we received the best care from the most amazing consultants, doctors and nurses who we now consider lifelong friends. James and I are forever grateful for the love, care and support shown to us as a family. We had our three other children stay with us for the whole summer at Cots for Tots House, which meant the world to us. 

We have to say a massive thank you to Cots for Tots. You came to our rescue. You gave us a place to stay and provided a home for the whole summer for our family, keeping us close to our daughter.

Autumn, Mireya’s mum

We also loved the items Cots for Tots provided while we were in NICU. The Miniboo, which Mireya always had snuggled up right by her face, helped to stop her from pulling on her tubes. Filling in our ‘Your NICU Story’ diaries every day as our memory journal was an important part of our journey, and let us reflect on how far Mireya had come. 

Here, Mireya is being comforted by a weighted Zaky Hand, which simulates a parent’s touch, and a Miniboo, which helps share scents. We’re proud to fund these items for every baby in the unit.

Somehow, despite the situation we were in, the hospital staff turned our scariest experience into one that was also filled with fun, adventures and special memories for our other children. They still speak so fondly of it. Their memories of Bristol and being in NICU for the whole summer are positive, thanks to them. There are no words that could ever express our gratitude for every single staff member that looked after us and saved our little Mireya. 

After almost seven weeks in St Michael’s NICU, Mireya started getting better. She no longer needed the specialist centre in Bristol, or the ventilator. We were flown in style by helicopter back to Plymouth NICU where we stayed for a further four weeks, finishing up the healing process. Within just a week, Mireya went from being on a CPAP machine to help her breathe, to breathing all by herself. We also managed to go from being tube-fed to bottle-feeding almost immediately, and we’re transitioning back to breast-feeding. 

Finally, we were discharged from hospital, and we could go home as a family. Her brothers and sister are absolutely in love with her and love to help take care of her. 

Since being home, Mireya has started to grow and put on weight. She is now at a healthy 17 lbs! Her favourite thing to do is cuddles with mummy. She’s always smiling – unless she’s hungry, and then we all know about it!

Mireya’s story continues thanks to the amazing staff in St Michael’s NICU and our local hospital in Derriford. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.”

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