Parents thank neonatal unit for 'miracle' baby

Jemima was born at just under 24 weeks

Parents have thanked staff working at a neonatal unit for saving the life of their premature "miracle" baby daughter, who was born at just 23 weeks and four days.

Hannah and Craig thanked staff on the the Oliver Fisher Neonatal Unit at Medway Maritime Hospital, after celebrating their daughter Jemima's first birthday.

It was a moment the couple feared they wouldn't get to celebrate, as at just 20 weeks pregnant, Hannah was told she was six centimetres dilated and at high risk of losing her baby.

But, just three weeks later, she was rushed back to hospital after her waters broke.

'Heart wrenching'

Hannah, from New Ash Green, near Sevenoaks, said: "We were heartbroken. We'd gone from sharing our excitement with our loved ones about having a baby girl the day before to being told we were going to lose her.

"The day before the unit had been full but miraculously there was a space for us the day I was transferred to the hospital."

Two days later Jemima was born weighing just 1lb 4oz (575 grams).

With no detectable heart beat a team of four medical staff resuscitated her, intubated her, then placed her in a "plastic bag" on top of heat pads and under a heat lamp to help maintain her body temperature before transferring her to the neonatal unit.

"Seeing Jemima in her incubator covered in tubes and wires was heart wrenching," Hannah added.

Jemima was discharged home on oxygen on 19 February 2025, just a week after her due date.

Four months later, she no longer needed the respiratory support.

Her father Craig said: "Today, Jemima is absolutely thriving.

"We are so grateful to all of the consultants, doctors and nurses who cared for Jemima and us while we were on the unit.

"Jemima wouldn't be here without them."

Neonatal consultant and neonatal clinical lead, Dr Helen Gbinigie, who helped care for Jemima, said: "Her story reminds us of the fragility of life, the strength of families and clinical teams working together, and how miracles can unfold even in the darkest hours."