Baby Esme's Silent Birth: A Father's Fight Against Meconium Aspiration
For Josh Richardson and his then-partner Steph, the pregnancy had been a smooth journey, marked only by the usual fatigue, as they eagerly anticipated the arrival of their first daughter, Esme, in March last year. Residents of Beverley in East Yorkshire, the couple expected labour to proceed without complications. However, minutes before Esme's birth, their world turned upside down when medical staff delivered devastating news.
A Sudden Crisis Unfolds
"Steph had been in labour since Friday, and Esme was born at one o'clock on Monday morning," Josh recalls. "The doctors broke her waters due to the prolonged labour, and that's when they discovered thick meconium." What followed was a whirlwind of activity. The room quickly filled with doctors, and Josh was handed scrubs with the urgent instruction that they were heading into surgery. Esme had suffered meconium aspiration, a serious condition where a newborn inhales a mixture of stool and amniotic fluid into the lungs before or during delivery.
Watching in shock, Josh, 35, saw Esme delivered via emergency C-section. She was rushed to the back of the room, visibly struggling to breathe. He overheard a doctor mention cardiac arrest; Esme was not crying because her lungs were so full of meconium they could not function, and her tiny heart was working overtime to keep her alive. While Steph, 36, received post-labour care, Josh, head of commercial at a food manufacturing company, approached his daughter.
The Agonising Wait and a Glimmer of Hope
"She looked very ill and completely grey," Josh says. "With a breathing mask on, she was moving erratically, clearly in distress. You expect to hear a baby cry after birth, but she didn't make a sound. Her lungs were just full. It was really bad." Esme was briefly introduced to her mother before being whisked to intensive care. Steph and Josh were taken to a side room to wait, bracing themselves as doctors and nurses fought for Esme's life.
A doctor entered and delivered a heartbreaking warning: "You need to prepare for the worst. If we don't see improvement soon, she won't make it." Esme's blood oxygen levels were dangerously low, and the exhausted couple, having had no sleep for days, struggled to comprehend the situation. "I just couldn't accept that we might lose her," Josh reflects. "She was so small and already going through so much."
Then, a glimmer of hope emerged. A doctor mentioned an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, an advanced life support system used only in extreme cases of respiratory and cardiac failure. With only a few available in the UK, the nearest was 100 miles away. Doctors worked tirelessly to transfer Esme under blue lights to Leicester Royal Infirmary, where the specialist machine could be used, with the worried parents following closely behind.
A Miraculous Recovery and Ongoing Journey
Once connected to the ECMO machine, which oxygenated her blood outside her body, bypassing her lungs entirely, Esme's condition transformed dramatically. "The second they put her on the machine, everything changed," Josh says. "Her oxygen levels started to rise. Her colour changed from grey to pink. It was like a miracle." The treatment was successful, but the next challenge came when doctors had to remove the cannulas, a delicate operation with risks of stroke or brain damage.
"The procedure to take out the cannulas only took 60-90 minutes, but overall, I was waiting in the hospital's prayer room for news for around three hours," Josh explains. "The longer I waited, the more I panicked. I was about to storm the ward when someone came in and said everything was fine. I can't describe the relief. The whole team were incredible." Within three weeks, Esme was discharged, and the family returned home to begin recovering from the trauma.
While ECMO can have long-term side effects, such as hearing loss, lung damage, and learning difficulties, Esme has so far thrived. "Besides two small scars on her neck where the cannulas were inserted, she has been unaffected," Josh shares. "She's babbling, crawling, standing on her own, and nearly walking at just 10 months. She's absolutely amazing."
Giving Back Through Charity
Although Steph and Josh have since separated, they are navigating co-parenting well. Now, Josh is channelling his experience into a charitable endeavour. He is running a 100-mile ultra marathon to raise money and awareness for Heart Link, the charity that funds ECMO machines and supports families in crisis. "Heart Link funds vital support for families, life-saving equipment like ECMO, accommodation near the hospital, bedding, utensils, toys, nappies, and more for children on the ward," he says.
"In April, I'm taking on the Chester 100-mile Ultra Marathon to celebrate Esme's first birthday and raise money for Heart Link, the charity that quite literally gave her a second chance at life." This inspiring effort highlights the resilience of families facing neonatal emergencies and the critical role of medical technology and community support in saving young lives.
