Baby starved of oxygen at birth now a 'bundle of energy'

Ollie Codd, now four months old, was treated at Addenbrooke's Hospital for nine days

A baby who did not breathe for six minutes after being born is now "a bundle of energy", his mother said.

Lauren Mannell, 21, from Barrow in Suffolk, had Ollie Codd by emergency Caesarean at West Suffolk Hospital.

He was transferred to the neo-natal intensive care unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, a few hours later for cooling treatment.

The next day his mother tested positive for Covid-19 and was unable to be with him for nine days.

Lauren Mannell, Brett Codd and Ollie are now enjoying time as a family

Miss Mannell said her pregnancy was fine and when she went into labour at the hospital in Bury St Edmunds, it was "going smoothly".

After several complications he was delivered by Caesarean section.

"It was all a blur. They got him out, but I couldn't hear any crying; I just heard panic in the room," she said.

"We didn't know if he was alive to begin with.

"Staff then told me he 'isn't dead, but he's not in the best state and we are working on him now'."

The mother said she later found out that when he was born at 15:20 GMT on 3 January, it was six minutes before he drew his first breath.

Ollie took to feeding from a bottle very well and was discharged on 12 January

That evening, while his mother remained at West Suffolk, her son was transferred to Addenbrooke's neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU), where his temperature was lowered to 32C for 72 hours.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that cooling babies who are deprived of oxygen at birth improves their chances of growing up without disabilities such as cerebral palsy.

"I was told he was the sickest baby in the NICU at that time," Ms Mannell said.

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The next day she took a Covid test, which was negative, and was taken to Addenbrooke's so she could be with him.

"I got there at 15:30 on the Monday, Brett [Codd, her partner] was with Ollie, and I saw him for 15 minutes," she said.

"That night I did a Covid test and I was woken the next morning to be told 'sorry, your test has come back positive'."

She was sent home, so she could self-isolate with her partner.

Ollie is a very happy and active little boy, his family said

The successful treatment Ollie received at the hospital was "amazing" and he was discharged on 12 January, she said.

"I was so glad he went to Addenbrooke's; he was in the best possible place."

She was constantly updated on his progress and if "anything happened they called straight away".

To say thank you, Ollie's great-aunt, Debbie Summons raised £560, for Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust, by running 80km in April.

Ollie is now four months old, is sitting up, rolling about and his mother said he was "always laughing and smiling, he's just a happy, content boy".

"We're going to keep an eye on him, but at his first check-up at the West Suffolk Hospital, they said if they hadn't read his notes they would have had no idea he was as sick as he was," she said.

"If this happens to you, have hope and trust the experts."

The family were sent regular updates from the hospital and were able to see him via Facetime