Wyatt was born at RBWH at 25+6 days gestation weighing 794g. He arrived quickly being born within 16 minutes of Chrissy’s arrival in the birthing suite.

Wyatt was born suddenly in January 2023 due to Chrissy having a weak cervix. Chrissy experienced some spotting at 20 weeks pregnant and was given a cervical cerclage due to being 2 cm dilated. At 25 weeks Chrissy experience cramping for about a week prior to Wyatt’s birth which she mistook for Braxton Hicks. When she arrived at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital they discovered she was 3 cm dilated again. She was sent by ambulance to Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital (RBWH) which has a NICU.  

Wyatt’s father, Matthew, arrived soon after as he had a 1.5 hour drive to get to RBWH. Wyatt was in hospital for a total of 124 days in Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital and then back closer to home at Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

At 5 days of age Wyatt required surgery for a perforated bowel.  “This was the scariest part of our journey, even more so than the birth, the thought of potentially losing him was so upsetting and terrifying. I got to hold him for the first time the day after which was amazing,” says Chrissy.

He was also diagnosed with Retinopathy of Prematurity, an eye condition, which needed to be reviewed every two weeks and required injections into the eye. This was always so heart breaking for them to watch but they are so thankful the treatment meant he would not be blind.

My Reflections on the Experience

“Life’s Little Treasures Foundation helped in many ways. Talking to Mellissa the State Coordinator – Qld when she visited the hospital helped me normalise what I had been through. Being provided a ‘My Colourful Journey’ sibling book for Acklen helped us explain what was happening with his little brother. One of the greatest things though was the Brekkie Box. One morning I hurried into the hospital after expressing to make a specialist appointment and I had not had time to eat. Being provided with a Brekkie Box helped me get through and brought me to tears, I felt seen. Finally, just reading other families stories on the website gave me hope and made me not feel so alone on this journey with Wyatt.”

Handling Misplaced Advice with Grace and Understanding

My advice to parents going through this now is to make time for you as well. Your baby needs a happy, rested mum/dad so don’t feel bad about doing things for you. You can’t be in the hospital with your baby every second of the day and it is so easy to get caught up in NICU life and forget about spending time with your family outside hospital.