Haylee and her partner were filled with excitement as they found out they were expecting their fourth child, convinced that they would be welcoming another boy into their family. With three boys already, the thought of a girl seemed almost too good to be true. The couple’s excitement turned into pure joy when they discovered they were expecting a little girl. It was a moment that filled them with anticipation and wonder for what their future would look like with a daughter.
However, the journey to parenthood was not without its challenges. On Sunday, November 3rd, Haylee said goodbye to her partner as he left for work in Auckland, five hours away. It was just Haylee and her son at home, and although she had felt a bit off that morning, she decided to take a nap.
When she woke three hours later, she was in pain and noticed some bleeding. With her midwife away, she contacted the on-call midwife, who advised her to head to the maternity ward for further monitoring. Little did Haylee know that this would mark the beginning of a very unexpected and emotional journey.
After dropping her son off at her mum’s, Haylee drove to the hospital alone, where she was quickly hooked up to the monitors. The doctors confirmed that she was in preterm labor and immediately suggested her partner head home from Auckland.
Haylee was given a steroid injection to help develop the baby’s lungs and some other medication to try and stop the labor. By the time her partner arrived at 11 pm, the medication had eased the contractions, but the doctors were still concerned. The following morning, Haylee was given another steroid injection, and the doctors advised that if labor continued, it could no longer be stopped.
By midday on Monday, Haylee’s waters broke, and antibiotics were administered to protect her baby. However, nothing else developed that night or into Tuesday afternoon. There were talks of her going home on Wednesday, but by Tuesday evening, the doctors decided that Haylee needed to stay in the hospital to be monitored more closely for the remainder of her pregnancy. The plan was to induce her at 37 weeks, but Haylee’s body had other plans.
On Wednesday, November 6th, Haylee felt much better and even discussed the possibility of going home with her partner. However, when the doctors came in for their routine checks and a bedside scan, they noticed something concerning.
Haylee’s amniotic fluid was very low, despite her observations being perfectly normal. At 12:40 pm, Haylee felt extremely unwell and told her partner she didn’t feel right at all. A midwife came in, took her vitals, and discovered that Haylee had a high temperature, low blood pressure, and a high heart rate. The doctor immediately suspected chorioamnionitis (sepsis), a serious infection, and decided that Haylee would need to undergo an emergency C-section.
At 1:20 pm, Haylee was rushed to the operating theater, and by 1:34 pm, their baby girl, Pippa Mae, was born weighing 1960 grams and measuring 42 cm long. Haylee’s partner and mother were outside waiting, eager to follow Pippa into the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU), while Haylee remained in recovery. It was an emotional moment when Haylee was finally wheeled into SCBU at 4 pm for her first cuddle with her precious daughter.
Seeing Pippa hooked up to all the machines was one of the hardest moments of Haylee’s life. The tiny newborn was so small that even the preemie-sized nappies were too big for her. Pippa was placed on CPAP to help with her breathing, but within five days, she was taken off it and began progressing in leaps and bounds.
By 33 weeks and 3 days, Pippa was sucking from a bottle and showed her fierce determination by frequently pulling out her feeding tube. As she was moved to an open bassinet, even the smallest preemie clothes were too big for her tiny frame.
The hardest part of the NICU journey for Haylee was leaving the hospital without her baby. The constant pull between life outside the hospital and wanting to be by Pippa’s side 24/7 was emotionally draining.
Haylee and her partner were told to expect to be in SCBU until Pippa’s due date on December 31st, 2024, but their determined baby girl surprised them all. After just 23 days in the hospital, Pippa was able to come home on November 29th, 2024—a moment of immense joy and relief for Haylee and her family.
Now, at 11 weeks old, Pippa Mae is thriving. She weighs 4.3 kg and is 54 cm long, and she’s wearing size 0-3 month clothes and size 2 nappies. Her growth and progress have been nothing short of remarkable. Haylee is incredibly grateful to the amazing team at Hastings Hospital, whose support and care helped Pippa become the strong, healthy baby she is today. Their NICU journey was filled with challenges, but it ultimately led them to the greatest gift of all—their determined little girl, Pippa Mae.