WHEN Rhianna Crobsy was rushed to hospital in labour went at just 22 weeks, doctors warned her to expect the worst.
Her son, Mark was born weighing just 1lb 2oz – less than a tub of Quality Street – before the 24 week mark, when babies are deemed strong enough to survive.
Rhianna, 25, was repeatedly told to say her last goodbyes to her newborn baby boy – but he didn’t give in easily.
He battled countless infections and bugs and only had his first cuddle with his mum at two months old.
After ten months in hospital – during which time the new mum was told more than 30 times her impossibly small baby was going to die – he was able to go home for Christmas.
Rhianna, from Godalming, near Guildford, said: “It had been the longest months of my life, having been told more than 30 times Mark wouldn’t make it.
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“Now [aged almost two years] he’s a bit delayed, but hitting all his milestones, and the doctors say they’re amazed at how well he’s doing.
“He’s 20lbs now, constantly smiling and causing mischief!”
Rhianna had a “horrible” pregnancy in which she was constantly sick and at just 22 weeks, was rushed into hospital when her labour started.
She said: “It turned out I had a blood infection, and at less than 23 weeks pregnant I went into labour.
“I was rushed to the Royal Surrey Hospital where I was openly told that if my baby was born unresponsive, they wouldn’t even try to resuscitate him.”
Because doctors thought her baby was going to die, Rhianna says: “I was put in the ‘Forget Me Not’ room, which was lined with tiny coffins for babies who wouldn’t make it.
“High on morphine with my mum, Lorraine, beside me, we were told either my baby or I would die.
“We were in pieces, praying for a miracle.”
‘Impossibly’ small
Rhianna was transferred to St Peters Hospital in Chertsey, where doctors were slightly more optimistic.
Three days after her ordeal began, on January 14, Mark was born.
Rhianna said: “He came into the world without making a sound, which is simply horrible for a new mum to hear, but the nurses said he was alive, his heart was beating.
“This impossibly small, red dot bundled in a towel was passed to me for two seconds before he was put on a ventilator and rushed off to NICU.
“I just lay there, sobbing, thinking I’d never get to hold him alive again.”
Two hours later, Rhianna received the welcome news that Mark was stable in NICU.
I was openly told that if my baby was born unresponsive, they wouldn’t even try to resuscitate him
Rhianna
But there was a long way to go.
Rhianna said: “Because of his size, his lungs were massively under-developed, and simply trying to get enough oxygen into him was going to be the main challenge.
“Reaching my hand into his incubator, all the wires and tubes going into him, he just seemed so completely defenceless, like a tiny sparrow who’d fallen out of his nest.
“He was so small I put one of my rings over his whole hand.
“It just seemed a miracle Mark was still alive. All I wanted to do was cuddle him, feel his little heartbeat against mine.”
Rhianna prayed by her son’s cot as the alarms would regularly go off whenever his oxygen levels fell.
She said: “Most days were horrific, doctors taking me to one side to tell me he wasn’t going to make it, I should say my final goodbyes.”
Mark suffered RSV – a common bug in children under two years old that normally causes a cold, but can be serious and even fatal.
Rhianna says: “He consistently proved everyone wrong.
“I decided to get Mark christened when he was a month old, which was heartbreaking.
“I finally got to hold him at two months old, clinging onto him like the most precious thing in the whole world.”
As each day passed, against all odds, Mark survived.
At the end of June 2022, when he was five months old and had finally reached more than 6lbs, he was transferred to St George’s Hospital.
Rhianna says: “I was still regularly told my baby was about to go, but somehow it felt like the worst was over. I’d become stronger and believed he wouldn’t give up without a fight.”
Rhianna was given an ‘amazing home away from home’ by the Ronald McDonald House Tooting, where her mum could also stay with her, so that she could be near the hospital.
She says: “I really don’t know how I’d have coped without her and that community of other parents.”
Finally hometime
Months later, in November, Rhianna was finally given the news she feared she’d never hear – they could prepare to take Mark home.
She said: “The birth had happened so quickly I’d only bought a pram online, so with help from friends and family, managed to do up Mark’s nursery so it would be ready for him.
“On November 28 we triumphantly left St George’s. Loads of the amazing nurses gave us hugs of congratulations as we walked out.
“He’d battled countless bugs and infections, he’d had more blood transfusions than I could count, PICC lines, laser surgery on his eyes – the list was endless.
“We had a special welcome home party for him, with balloons and presents, and that Christmas he was the most spoilt baby in the world!
“He was still on oxygen, but his smile was simply heart-melting – seeing him dressed in his little Santa or Elf outfit, everyone wanted a cuddle!”
By the start of 2023, Mark still only weighed 14lbs. But the fact that he was alive was all that mattered to his family.
Rhianna said: “Now he’s constantly waving, clapping his hands, and he won’t stop smiling!
“We’re obviously back in hospital for regular checks, but there isn’t a day goes by that I’m not reminded what a miracle my little dot is.
“We’re celebrating our second Christmas by going to Disneyland Paris for two days, which I know he’ll love.
“Every day with my amazing boy feels like a miracle.”
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
