Daryl Davison’s Story

On the 19th September 2007, whilst 26 weeks pregnant I visited the nurse due to changing my GP. During a routine check my blood pressure was found to be very high, after further examination I was sent straight to the R.V.I. for further tests. I had a severe case of pre-eclampsia and was admitted straight to hospital.

I found this very hard to understand, as I felt completely fine within myself.  Daily antenatal soon revealed that although I was 27 weeks pregnant by this time, Daryl was only the size of a 23 week fetus and the blood flow was sometimes absent from the umbilical cord to her.

While I was on the ward I received two doses of steroids to help Daryl’s lungs and organs to develop.

On the 28th September 2007 my daily scan revealed Daryl had stopped breathing and my health was deteriorating.  Daryl had to be delivered by emergency caesarean within the hour.

Daryl was born at 8:28pm a mere 540 grams. I was relieved to hear her let out a little cry as she was brought into the world.  The paediatricians were fantastic and got to work immediately. Daryl was intubated within two minutes and put on ventilation.  She was taken straight to the Red Area on the Special Care Baby Unit.  Daryl was only ventilated for around six hours before she was transformed to C-PAP, which meant she was strong enough to receive less help for her breathing.  Daryl’s weigh dropped at first and at one point she only weighed 480g.

By day four Daryl was feeding through a tube and was going from strength-to-strength.  We fell back a few times and she had good days and bad days, as did her mam and dad.  It felt like it was two steps forward and one step back, but she was strong and for every bad day there was a good day.

As Daryl progressed to the Blue Area we began to see a real change in her appearance as she grew bigger every day. We stayed in the Blue Area for a few weeks until she began to breathe on her own without the help of the C-PAP, but still required low flow oxygen.

Next stop was the Green Area where Daryl blossomed and we knew our little girl was going to make it.  Daryl required 4 blood transfusions, as she wasn’t producing her own red cells. She also had a complication with her thyroid, which needs daily medicine.

On News Years Eve (31.12.07) Daryl was able to come home weighing 6lb3oz. She still needed her oxygen at home, but she was home.

Daryl’s dad and I can’t thank all the doctors and nurses at the R.V.I. enough for helping our baby survive.  They are all fantastic and their care is nothing less than first class.

… a few years later

I thought I would write an update on Daryl as I know when I was in hospital stories like Daryl’s kept me going and gave me hope so I hope I can now do the same.

Since leaving the hospital Daryl never stops to amaze us with how strong she is, we were off the oxygen within her first year and she no longer requires her thyroxine or any other medication. She has been monitored on a yearly outpatients appointment at the RVI and we have been told as long as her weight and height have continued as all her other appointments have this will be her final appointment, with a clean bill of health.

Daryl is full of life and very lively little girl who loves dressing in her princess dresses and Mrs Pepperpot stories at bedtime, she enjoys school and is a confident little reader who plans to be a doctor when she’s older like Doc Mcstuffin. Her family mean the world to her and she loves  Friday night takeaways with granddad pound, sleep over’s at Auntie Julie’s and Uncle Tony’s, arts and crafts with Grandma tidy and especially playing with cousins Sian, Micky and baby Alan.

She is a keen little jet setter and looking forward to visiting Micky and Minnie in Florida this year.

From Daryl’s very proud parents Diane and Darryl Davison