I used to spend every night reading stories here, over and over again. Some positive, some totally heartbreaking. I’d cling to the fact that maybe one day I’d be able to share our story and it would be a positive one. So here goes…
Our case was very complex, and if I were to go through all the details, I’d be able to very easily write a book (but with a one-year-old who has just learnt to walk, that will have to wait!)
Reyan was born on his due date on 12 December 2021. We had a pretty smooth, low-risk pregnancy. The only slight concern was that he was measuring big for my wife’s size. As a result, we had extra scans in the lead up to his birth, but we were reassured there was nothing to be concerned about.
My wife started to experience contractions at around 10pm the night before. They started to come in very strong and were quite close together! The pain became unbearable very quickly, so we were asked to come into the labour ward (at Leicester General Hospital). They explained, however, that it was likely we’d be sent home as it was too soon after the contractions had started.
Once we arrived they saw the distress my wife was in. They placed her in a labour room and attempted to manage her pain and slow down the speed of the contractions. Her contractions quickly gained momentum and Reyan's heart rate kept dropping every single time. This went on for a while.
At around 4.45am, the midwife did a sweep and found that my wife hadn’t dilated very much at all. She proceeded to break her waters and found meconium. No further action was taken and we were told this was normal. A few hours later, the team noticed swelling around Reyan's head. Given this, the fact that the labour wasn’t progressing and that his heart rate kept dropping with every contraction, they spoke to us about a c-section.
Reyan was delivered at around 11.14am, but was immediately taken away. We were told his breathing was a little ‘sluggish’ but that he was totally fine and he’d be with us shortly. Due to Covid-19 concerns at the time, I was unable to be present during the c-section, and was anxiously waiting in our labour room.
A couple of hours later, as we shared the wonderful news of Reyan’s arrival with our friends and family, our elation quickly turned into a horrendous nightmare! It felt like an out-of-body experience, like our hearts had been ripped out. I still experience the trauma to this day.
A specialist doctor who had rushed over from Leicester Royal Infirmary came in and delivered the devastating news - Reyan's lungs were really badly damaged from the excessive amounts of meconium that he had ingested.
She told us that there was a significant period of time during which Reyan was unable to breathe and as a result, his brain had been starved of oxygen. She also said that, in the unlikely circumstance of him surviving, he was showing signs of brain damage.
We were told Reyan would be transferred to Leicester Royal Infirmary that night to receive ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) treatment. At this point I still hadn’t had a chance to see him, but due to how poorly he was, they couldn’t take any chances.
During the next 72 hours, communication with the doctors was limited. We had one call the following day from the doctor looking after him. I still remember it as if it was yesterday. We were told our baby boy was ‘really sick’ and that we had to ‘be prepared’ that he may not make it.
