Don’t worry, at this hospital, at 30 weeks, they all survive.’ That’s what the doctor said to us when we’d arrived, anxious and scared, at the hospital after my wife Kate’s waters had broken two-anda-half months early. The doctor’s confident words put our minds at rest a bit. The medical team decided to delay labour for as long as possible, because every day or week longer in the womb significantly improves a baby’s life chances. The risk is that after the waters have broken, there’s an increased likelihood of a dangerous infection developing, because the protective seal around the baby has a hole in it. The doctors felt this was a risk worth taking, so they did everything they could to keep the baby in the womb for longer, and in the meantime my wife and I lived in the hospital around the clock — Kate in bed, hooked up to a baby heart-rate monitor; me tossing and turning uncomfortably on a sweaty armchair next to her. Our family and friends did their best to keep our spirits up via text messages and phone calls.
Load More
Load More