6 days ago
Brakpan-ma deel roerende verhaal van baba se stryd ná geboorte op 28 weke
For Brakpan parents Amber Lessing and Martin Swanepoel, March 19 marked the start of a difficult and expensive journey with the birth of their baby.
Amber's amniotic fluid suddenly dried up, and after close monitoring, steroids and magnesium to speed along the baby's development and a difficult decision to do an emergency C-Section, baby Claire was born at just 28 weeks.
Initially, the parents went for a 4D scan in Benoni, where they learnt there wasn't enough fluid to do the scan. An appointment with Amber's gynaecologist scheduled for March 19 was moved to March 7, and he advised the parents to prepare for a C-section at 30 weeks.
By the time of this appointment, three days after the 4D scan appointment, there was even less amniotic fluid than before.
'My heart was shattered. I walked out crying, sat in my car and tried to come to terms with what was happening,' explained Amber.
By the next day, Amber couldn't feel much movement from the baby.
'I tried everything to get some movement from her. I ate sweets, drank Coke and moved, but I felt minimal. On March 9, I woke up and waited for movement, but there was nothing,' she said.
The pair waited until noon before heading to Life Dalview Hospital for a Doppler scan. Baby Claire's heart was beating strongly, but the doctor decided to admit Amber. This was when they administered the steroid and magnesium shots.
'We then monitored movements along with heartbeat every six hours. On March 16, the doctor did another sonar and decided it would be best to do the C-section at 28 weeks,' Amber said.
'She wasn't growing, and there was no fluid left. It was terrifying, lying in the hospital for two weeks and having to pay such close attention to her movements. It was so exhausting and emotionally draining.
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'Martin has been my rock and support in this, and I don't know what we would have done without him. Our baby girl, Claire, has been fighting for her life since birth.'
At just three weeks old, Claire's condition turned critical, and she was resuscitated twice after haemorrhaging in her lungs. Ten days later, she underwent PDA (Patent ductus arteriosus) ligation surgery to close a blood vessel and correct the heart condition at the Netcare Sunninghill Hospital in Sandton, the only hospital able to do it in time. This hospital is not in her parents' medical aid network.
Claire is still in the NICU at Life Dalview, where her left lung keeps collapsing, and she has a recurring, dangerous intestinal disease commonly seen in premature babies.
Now, she has to see a pediatric pulmonologist at another hospital, also out of the network. The couple has started a BackaBuddy campaign titled Baby Claire Swanepoel to raise the steep funds to pay for it. The link is
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