After spending four months caring for their baby, a couple is overjoyed to be able to bring her home just in time for Christmas.
Kimberley Melvin (25), and James Gallacher (26) faced a difficult few months following Freya Rose’s 15-week premature birth. She weighed as much as a bag full of chips.
Parents had to drive to their first child’s birth every day, from Greenock in Inverclyde to the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital, Glasgow, in order to visit her.
Freya Rose was born July 16 at a weight of 1.6 lbs. She was finally allowed to return home on Friday with a healthy 6 lb 5 oz.
Because she has a chronic condition of the lungs, her parents must keep an oxygen tank on hand in case she develops a chest infection.
They are now fundraising to support the NHS in a show of appreciation for all those who have helped their baby.
Kimberley Melvin, 25, and James Gallacher, 26, from Greenock, Inverclyde, waited four months for their daughter Freya-Rose to come home from hospital after she was born 15 weeks early on July 15, at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow, pictured
Kimberley, a nursing assistant with polycistic-ovary syndrome was told she wouldn’t be able to conceive and that the couple won’t try again.
James is a construction worker and claimed that doctors saved Freya Rose’s life by not even blinking an eye. He also stated that the NHS is severely underfunded.
Kimberley, mum-of-1 said she felt like a newborn baby. She said it was her best Christmas gift.
“It took me four months to recover and I had many setbacks.
Freya Rose, pictured after she was born in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, (NICU). She weighed just 1.6lbs at birth.
James holding Freya Rose during a visit to the hospital following Freya’s premature birth in Glasgow
“We went every day to her. It was difficult, particularly leaving the hospital. It’s horrible.
I was told it would prove difficult for me to have a baby and that there was a chance she might survive.
When Freya Rose, the baby of their union, fell ill, she was due to be welcomed home in a room they decorated.
Kimberley saw a red rash on her baby and alerted the medical staff. Unfortunately, the child was not released from hospital until the complications were addressed.
Both of their parents worked full time throughout the years.
James said, “The nurses and doctors were exceptional. You save someone’s life, and they continue to do so as though it was nothing.
They saved our dog’s life. They don’t need any recognition, but they should have sufficient equipment.
“The NHS needs to be more financially sound, particularly for neonatal units.
“It’s inspirational, we were there for over 125 days. That’s a lot of time to remain there full-time.
“It was a long, difficult journey.”
Kimberley discovered she had been bleeding unannounced and she thought she might be having a miscarriage. She was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley. There she underwent tests and was transferred immediately to Princess Royal Maternity Hospital, Glasgow.
It took 55 minutes and an hour to give birth.
Four weeks after her treatment for a cyst in her uterus, she discovered she was pregnant.
Pictured: Freya-Rose in hospital. During the course of four months, her loving parents visited Freya-Rose in hospital every day.
Kimberley and James were delighted to be given permission last week to bring Freya Rose home.
“I had an ultrasound to remove a cyst and discovered that there was still a baby inside – it was four weeks after I gave birth,” she said.
“We were overwhelmed by the news.”
James commented, “It is a small Christmas gift.”
‘She had an infection. We were hoping to take her home. Then she needed breathing tubes.
“She was about 730g in weight when she was born, or the equivalent of one bag of chips.
“We weren’t sure if she would survive. There were many nice people there.
Kimberley and James can be supported by a donation.
Freya, who was hospitalized for sepsis, is now healthy and has returned home just in time to celebrate Christmas.
Kimberley with Freya Rose. According to the mother-of-1, it feels miraculous that her daughter returned home just in time for Christmas.