Parents celebrate Christmas ‘miracle’ baby born weighing 546g

Born at less than 24 weeks gestation, weighing just 546 grams, a Christmas ‘miracle’ baby has joined her family earthside.

A couple is celebrating a Christmas miracle – the gift of life – after their daughter was born extremely premature at less than 24 weeks gestation.

Fassifern Valley parents Ashlee Eager and Benjamin Walsh were expecting to welcome their longed-for baby Moira into the world this December.

But their plans fell into disarray, and their joyful hopes into abeyance, when Ms Eager’s waters broke on September 5, without warning and 17 weeks early.

“It was Father’s Day,” Ms Eager said.

“My partner had come home from work – he’d done the morning shift – and we opened up some presents.

“He went up to the local store to get some ice cream … and when he came back I said, ‘I think my waters broke.

“We both panicked.”

Moira was born so small she could fit in the palm of a hand. Picture: Supplied

Ms Eager said she had her partner had endured two devastating miscarriages before falling pregnant with Moira, so they always knew this pregnancy would be high-risk.

“We were just hoping it was something else. That it wasn’t happening. That it wasn’t real,” she said.

“I started to feel contractions. I knew what they were but I kept saying ‘it’s not happening. It’s fine’.

“I tried to tell myself I was feeling a kick, but I didn’t feel anything.”

Ms Eager said Moira has been a ‘feisty’ little fighter since the day she arrived. Picture: Supplied

Ms Eager and Mr Walsh arrived at Mater Mothers’ pregnancy assessment centre, fearing the worst, but were told their baby still had a heartbeat and might survive.

“We were told giving birth to her naturally would be a bit safer for her,” Ms Eager said.

“It was a pretty harrowing thing to do. The whole time they had a monitor on her and we could see her heartbeat going up and down.

“She literally came out kicking, trying to breathe. We started our NICU journey from there.”

Moira was born at 11.31pm weighing just 546 grams. She was so small she could fit in the palm of a hand.

Since then, she has battled every day with numerous health conditions and issues.

The family of four hope to commence the post-NICU chapter of their lives in early January, at their home near Ipswich. Picture: Supplied

After more than three months in Mater’s neonatal critical care unit, Moira weights just over two kilograms and still requires respiratory support.

She will spend the festive season in hospital, but her parents and 11-year-old brother Lestat are hoping she will be allowed to join them at their home near Ipswich in time to ring in the new year.

“There’s definitely a light at the end of the tunnel,” Ms Eager said.

“We’re getting oxygen tanks delivered today, for when she comes home.

“It’s a really good point in the journey when you start hearing doctors say ‘when you go home’.”

A Christmas ‘miracle’ baby, Moira is the smallest and most premature baby born at Mater Mothers’ Hospital South Brisbane this year. Picture: Supplied

Moira’s older brother, who Ms Eager said is besotted with his sister, is particularly excited to see her discharged from hospital.

“At first it was a little difficult for him,” Ms Eager said.

“She’s just a tiny little thing with all these tubes and wires everywhere.

“But now she’s in an open cot … she holds his hand and his face lights up. It’s magical.

“You can clearly see that he loves her. He’s always watching her monitor, he reads stories to her.”

The family of four recently celebrated 100 days spent at Mater Mother’s Hospital. Picture: Supplied

Mater Director of Neonatology Dr Pita Birch said the hospital’s clinicians will be caring for about 80 babies in the neonatal critical care unit this Christmas.

“Ten years ago, it was rare for the Mater to provide neonatal intensive care to babies born at 23 weeks and we wouldn’t always provide neonatal intensive care at 24 weeks either,” he said.

“Now, we are providing intensive care for a large number of babies born at 23 weeks, like little Moira, and almost all babies born at 24 weeks.”

Ms Eager said she could not be more grateful to the nurses and doctors at Mater Mother’s Hospital South Brisbane for their efforts delivering Moira.

“It’s a really bad journey for any parent to go through,” she said.

“It’s worth it at the end because you get your baby … but the nurses and doctors make it bearable.”