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All Emily Morgan wanted for her 27th birthday was to take her beautiful baby girl Florence home from Mater Mothers’ Hospital – and after 111 days in the Neonatal Critical Care Unit she finally got her wish.
“It was just the greatest birthday present ever, to have my little girl home and for all of us to enjoy some quality family time together,” Ms Morgan said.
After going into labour at 27 weeks and three days, her tiny daughter Florence Morgan was born weighing just 850 grams.
Her early arrival was a shock for the first-time mum, and within hours she learned her baby had been born with a congenital condition called duodenal atresia, in which part of the small intestine is blocked, preventing Florence from being able to breastfeed or eat normally.
“It was such a shock not only going into early labour but also learning a few hours later that my baby would need surgery in order to be able to eat properly,” Ms Morgan said.
“It was difficult not being able to breastfeed her, and she also couldn’t have surgery until she was at least 2.5 kilograms, so for almost three months of her life she had to receive all her food and nutrition intravenously.”
Mater Mothers’ Hospital Director of Neonatology Dr Pita Birch said duodenal atresia is a very rare condition, affecting around one in 6,000 babies. “
Florence has had a long journey with us at Mater, and it was quite challenging managing her prematurity, as well as her nutrition and getting her to grow prior to surgery,” Dr Birch said.
“She was around 10 weeks old when she had the two-hour surgery which involved removing the blockage in her intestines so food could pass out of her stomach.”
“Overall, we’re very impressed with Florence’s progress, her brain scans are normal and we’re optimistic that her chances of having a normal life are very good.”
Mum Emily said she was grateful for the round-the-clock care Florence received by a team of specialists at Mater Mothers’ Hospital and thrilled to finally be able to breastfeed her baby when she was 95 days old.
“It was so good to finally be able to feed my baby a few days after her surgery, and the lactation consultants at Mater were extremely helpful,” she said.
“By the end of the first week Florence had got the hang of sucking, and she is now feeding well and putting on weight, just like every other baby.”
Every year more than 1,800 very ill and premature babies receive round-the-clock specialist care from the team at Mater Mothers' Neonatal Critical Care Unit (NCCU).
At Mater, every baby born and cared for is affectionately known as a ‘Mater Little Miracle’.
The birth of a newborn is one of the happiest and most beautiful moments in life for mothers and their families, but sadly not all pregnancies are without complications.
These families turn to Mater—Australia’s largest maternity care provider – a leader in neonatal critical care with integrated services that extend from pre-pregnancy to the first 1,000 days of a baby’s life.
With the help of donations from the community, Mater clinicians and researchers continue to improve outcomes for our tiniest and most vulnerable patients.
