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Tiny Tenayah Gimbert born at 22 weeks and three days is an amazing story of survival and one of the most remarkable of ‘Mater’s Little Miracles.’
Believed to be Brisbane’s most premature baby, Tenayah was born on May 2nd and weighed just 409 grams, which is about the size of a jar of Nutella.
Born unexpectedly in the bathroom, while mum Tania was on bed rest at Mater Mothers’ Hospital Brisbane, Tenayah’s birth was so quick, she delivered her own daughter.
“I put my hand down and I could feel her head, I was in shock and told my husband to press the emergency buzzer for help,” said Mrs Gimbert.
“A team of doctors and nurses were with me in minutes, but Tenayah had already slipped out and I was holding her in my hands.”
A long and difficult resuscitation followed, but against the odds, baby Tenayah survived, as a team from Mater Mothers' Neonatal Critical Care Unit worked round-the-clock to keep her alive.
Now 128 days old, she just passed her September 2nd due date and is a thriving three kilograms. Dad Tyrone Gimbert said it’s the best Father’s Day gift in the world.
“From day one, we didn’t think she was going to make it,” said Mr Gimbert.
“We have been prepared to say goodbye to her on several occasions, but she keeps fighting through every challenge and surprising us and her medical team, every step of the way.”
Mater Director of Neonatology Dr Pita Birch said Tenayah is doing extremely well and is expected to go home late September.
“She is a little battler and has overcome so many challenges and complications, but her brain scans look normal, and she has made remarkable progress,” said Dr Birch.
“We’ve had a large multi-disciplinary team involved in her care to get the best possible outcome and we are optimistic for her future,” he said.
Parents Tania and Tyrone Gimbert are thrilled with their ‘miracle’ daughter’s progress, especially after having lost two babies previously, the first at 16 weeks, the second at 20 weeks and five days.
“We feel very blessed to have her and are sharing our story of hope, to raise awareness about premature babies for others,” said Mrs Gimbert.
“We also know she wouldn’t be here if not for the incredible work of the team of people at Mater, who have cared for her since she was born,” she said.
The couple live in Ipswich with their ten-year old daughter Tiana and said they’re counting down the days until they can take Tenayah home.
“We can’t wait to get our baby girl home and enjoy being a family of four,” said Mr Gimbert.
“It’s been a stressful journey to get to this point, but we have a great support network around us and we feel fortunate every day to have Tenayah in our lives,” he said.
Every year more than 1,800 very ill and premature babies receive round-the-clock specialist care from the team in 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.
