A ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ tot has defied all ᴏᴅᴅs and is ready to celebrate her first birthday.
When 1lb and 2oz Ava-May Horner was born, ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs Fᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ she wouldn’t sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ. Just weeks after celebrating her 16th birthday, Mum Charley Hopper went ɪinto labour at 22 weeks and difficult ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ as a whirlwind.
The teenager explained her difficult ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ as a whirlwind, saying: “One day we went from thinking I can’t wait for these 18-weeks to be over, then the next thing I was in ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ.” Then one week and three days later, she naturally gave birth to her 540gram baby on July 2. She needed ʀᴏᴜɴᴅ the ᴄʟᴏᴄᴋ ᴄᴀʀᴇ and spent the first 129 days of her life in ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ as she ʙʀᴀᴠᴇʟʏ ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇᴅ a ᴄᴏʟʟᴀᴘsᴇᴅ ʟᴜɴɢ, ᴘɴᴇᴜᴍᴏɴɪᴀ and ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ. Charley, from Pallister Park, said: “Ava needed ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ as soon as she was born, ʜᴇᴀᴛ sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ as she couldn’t ᴍᴀɪɴᴛᴀɪɴ her ᴛᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ and neede feeding sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ when she could have milk.”
The youngster is sᴛɪʟʟ ᴏɴ ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ but is ɢʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ sᴛʀᴏɴɢᴇʀ by the day. And Charley, 17, is now preparing for the first birthday she Fᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ her daughter would never see. They didn’t think she would sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ. It was so ʜᴀʀᴅ because they ʙᴀsɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ gave ᴜs 24-hours and it was either hit or miss. They said she’d either take to the ᴍᴀᴄʜɪɴᴇ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ for her but if she didn’t her ʟᴜɴɢs would ᴄᴏʟʟᴀᴘsᴇ.
One of her ʟᴜɴɢs did ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ᴄᴏʟʟᴀᴘsᴇ, but the other one was still ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ, when she was about five days old . She’s still on ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ 24/7, but hopefully she can start coming off it next year. Because she was so early she still needed to develop. Part of her ʙʀᴀɪɴ still needed to be ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴇᴅ so things might take a little longer for her.
Dᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ her sᴇᴛʙᴀᴄᴋs, Charley says:” Ava is ‘just amazing, lovely’ – and like any other parent would say ‘very grouchy’. I went back to college after I had her but I was there 9am until 3pm and I was just thinking I’d rather be at the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ by her side. I’m thinking about going back to college when Ava doesn’t need her Fᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴜʙᴇ or ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ.” Ava-May will celebrate her first birthday surrounded by family and friends on Thursday.
Dᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ her sᴇᴛʙᴀᴄᴋs, Charley says:” Ava is ‘just amazing, lovely’ – and like any other parent would say ‘very grouchy’. I went back to college after I had her but I was there 9am until 3pm and I was just thinking I’d rather be at the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ by her side. I’m thinking about going back to college when Ava doesn’t need her Fᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴜʙᴇ or ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ.” Ava-May will celebrate her first birthday surrounded by family and friends on Thursday.
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