A Greater Manchester family has expressed their profound gratitude to blood donors and NHS staff who helped save their daughter's life. Baby Grace was born eight weeks premature and required a major blood transfusion when she was less than eight hours old.
A Challenging Start
Caroline and Dave were preparing to welcome their second child in 2023 when complications arose during pregnancy. After Caroline contracted Covid, she was transferred from Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan to Saint Mary's Fetal Medicine Unit in Manchester. Doctors discovered that Grace needed a life-saving blood transfusion before birth.
At 30 weeks pregnant, Caroline underwent an in-utero blood transfusion, where blood was transfused to Grace through the umbilical cord. Dave described the experience as terrifying: “This was a terrifying experience being so helpless as both a husband, but also for Caroline as a mother because there is no part you can play in this procedure to help your baby, you are reliant on the skills and experience of the consultant performing the procedure. Fortunately, we had an incredible consultant in Dr Emma Shawkat who was able to position the needle in the exact place in the umbilical cord, guided only by the ultrasound.”
The procedure was successful, but just two weeks later, doctors had to repeat it. Caroline recalled: “Thankfully we were in the safe hands of Emma and her team. The second procedure went well, initially, and all the monitoring was good but later in the evening I could tell something was wrong and through the monitoring of our baby's heart rate the readings were irregular. Fortunately, I was staying at St Mary's Hospital as a precaution that night, after the in-utero blood transfusion, but the medical staff said they needed to perform a Category 1 emergency c-section and Grace was born very quickly; eight weeks premature.”
Emergency Birth and NICU Care
Grace was immediately taken to the neonatal ward and placed in an incubator after developing severe jaundice. Dave added: “Seeing your daughter so small and fragile in an incubator is very upsetting. Caroline and I had no physical contact for the first five days due to the severity of her jaundice.”
Shortly after birth, consultant neonatologist Susan Kamupira told the family that Grace would need a full blood exchange. At less than eight hours old, Grace underwent the complex procedure, which lasted five-and-a-half hours. Caroline said: “Susan was our angel that day and with her skill, care and professionalism the procedure was a success. To this day we are still in touch with Susan and will be eternally grateful for her saving our daughter's life.”
Grace stayed in Saint Mary's Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for three weeks, where staff monitored her around the clock. Caroline noted: “The care was outstanding. The fact that Grace always had one or two NICU Nurses constantly monitoring and caring for her showed how severe and important it was for her to be monitored. I couldn't hold her myself until she was five days old.”
Family Challenges
The family also faced difficulties with their son Ethan at home. Caroline said: “It was also really hard having our son at home throughout all of this. Ethan couldn't wait to be a big brother, but we didn't want to take him to see Grace when she was so poorly and with so many tubes coming from the incubator. As a mother I felt helpless leaving him at such a young age and not being able to help my daughter, it was an incredibly difficult time.” Dave added: “Our families supported and helped over this period with Ethan, and my time was split between being with Caroline and Grace and being there for our son.”
Once Grace could be cared for at a level 2 NICU, she was transferred back to the NICU at Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan, through Connect North West – the specialist Neonatal Transport Team for the North West of England and Wales – and she continued her care closer to home. She spent seven out of the first eight weeks of her life there.
Ongoing Health and Recovery
Since birth, Grace has had a weakened immune system, resulting in her having a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and grommets inserted into both her ears last April to limit infections. Still under the care of the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and working with Dr John Molloy, Consultant Paediatric Immunologist, Grace is now producing antibodies, and her immune system is working as it should be.
Dave said: “Grace is now three years old, she's a happy, funny, sassy little girl who is loving life and her big brother. Ethan adores her too which is so lovely to see. Looking at her now you would have no idea that she went through all of this. We are so proud of her.”
Susan Kamupira, Consultant Neonatologist, said: “At Saint Mary's Hospital, we are proud to offer highly specialist care for women, families and neonatal babies. Blood transfusions are a life-saving procedure but because our babies are vulnerable, we can only use CMV-negative blood and we rely on all our blood donors. Every donation has the power to save lives and give babies like Grace the best chance.”
