Meet Alfred Waldron, a one in a 1000 chance baby from Roma

The odds were stacked against little Alfie from the start – but this family found a way through.

New parents Lauren and Brendan Waldron and their six-week-old baby Alfie Waldron, Monday, July 15, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

When Lauren Waldron attended her 20 week antenatal appointment in Toowoomba at the start of this year, she never thought she would return to her Roma home, with the Christmas decorations still up, as a greeting to her newborn son six months later.

Alfred Waldron, born on June 2, 2024, found a way to come into the world, despite the 999-to-1 chance he wouldn’t even make it to full-term.

“I would do it all again,” she said.

For the past four years, the Waldrons had been trying for a family and walked through the loss a daughter, to trying again and again before finally falling pregnant with Alfie.

On a routine appointment at 20 weeks, obstetrician Dr Liam Dunn noticed Mrs Waldron had a complication with her cervix, a muscular, tunnel-like organ which is located at the entrance of the womb.

Dr Liam Dunn with new parents Brendan and Lauren Waldron and their six-week-old baby Alfie Waldron, Monday, July 15, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

In Mrs Waldron’s case it was shortened, meaning it risked holding the growing baby in the womb.

The discovery resulted in emergency cervical cerclage surgery, where two stitches were put in place to help hold the womb closed.

For almost five months, Mrs Waldron was confined to strict bed rest and was monitored at St Vincent’s Hospital, and then in Mater Hospital in Brisbane.

“It’s literally one in a thousand that you get that survival and about 10 per cent of mums who have a cerclage get to full term,” Dr Dunn said.

From then onwards it was just a waiting game and Mrs Waldron had to take care with everything, as just walking around, or going to the bathroom normally, put the pregnancy at great risk.

The hardest part was just doing nothing and having bed rest, she said.

“Boredom is 100 per cent a state of mind and I just kept telling myself that every day,” she said.

“And I just convinced myself that I wasn’t bored.”

New parents Brendan and Lauren Waldron and their six-week-old baby Alfie Waldron, Monday, July 15, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

At 32 weeks, Alfie had matured enough, and Mrs Waldron returned to St Vincent’s, just in time for her husband’s spleen surgery.

“We used to have dinner together as we were both at each end of the hospital,” she said.

Early on Sunday, June 2, 2024 Alfred Waldron came into the world – at term and healthy, five days later, the family packed up into the car and returned to Roma – five months after they left it.

“I was holding my guts on the way, he (Mr Waldron) was holding his guts and we were like big bump, and that’s how we got home,” she said.

“When the three of us were just laying in the bed, I was like, my own bed, isn’t this wonderful.”

Now, six weeks months, the family is in Toowoomba visiting Dr Dunn, who beamed happily as he rocked little Alfie to sleep, the second time he’d seen him since delivering him.

“You can’t put a price on it,” she said.

“If we needed $100,000 you’d find it.

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat, he’s not being an only child.”