This archive report was first published on 2 July 2019.
Abbey Davison, a 27-year-old from Chester-le-Street, near Newcastle, was told she would never have kids due to severe endometriosis. However, her first round of IVF treatment last year resulted in a miracle pregnancy.
On November 23, Abbey's joy turned to fear when she had to deliver her son, Oliver Wright, 23 weeks into her pregnancy, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead.
Abbey and her partner Daniel had tried for years to have a baby, and she had to fight for a diagnosis before doctors revealed the devastating news. When the fertility treatment worked first time, Abbey thought her worries were over.
With drugs to slow her labour, Abbey was rushed to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, where her son Oliver Wright was born weighing just 550g. "It was the most petrifying time of my life," she said.
Oliver spent four months in hospital fighting for his life, on life support, and undergoing heart operations. "When you've been told you can't have kids and then you do fall pregnant you think I'm getting a second chance, my life will be perfect now. But then you get kicked in the heart by life again," Abbey said.
Abbey and her partner Daniel Wright watched their tiny son grow surrounded by tubes and machines at the RVI's Special Care Baby Unit. The couple spent Christmas in hospital, staying there full time while Daniel had to travel across the North East to keep working.
"The hospital staff were absolutely amazing," Abbey said. "The Tiny Lives charity on the ward supported us so much, they helped with accommodation for us, they had all the support there to help parents stay with their babies and feel safe with them."
By March, Daniel was strong enough to go home, though he's still small for his age and relies on some breathing support. Now settling in at home with his family, little Oliver is starting to grow into his own little personality.
