22-04-2025
Baby Sam from Cork is making waves after open heart surgery
Carrigaline dad Chris Forde loves watching his nine-month-old son, Sam, in his weekly Water Babies class in the pool at the Rochestown Park Hotel every Friday morning.
'I'm amazed at how comfortable he is in the water. He can dunk his head under for three seconds and he comes up smiling. I'm 35 and I can't do that. It doesn't take a pinch out of him.'
For Forde and his wife, Meg Heslin, it is 'really rewarding' to see Sam enjoying himself so much, particularly as,, just over nine weeks ago, Sam underwent urgent open heart surgery.
Sam was referred to a cardiologist after the paediatric consultant noticed, at his four-month check, that a heart murmur, first detected when he was just a tiny baby, had not gone away or even lessened. At Cork University Hospital, the cardiologist did a range of tests, including three ultrasounds.
'He sat us down, drew a picture of Sam's heart, and pointed out several spots where the blood vessels coming out of his heart were constricted. The cardiologist said, based on this level of constriction, he'd expect Sam to have pale skin, trouble breathing, that he wouldn't be gaining weight, and he'd be lethargic. But Sam had none of this: He was a happy, bouncing boy.
'It was a complete shock to us; such a blow. We'd had no idea whatsoever. We were heartbroken,' says Forde.
Sam was referred to Children's Hospital Ireland at Crumlin, and while his parents hoped for a keyhole procedure, his condition was so serious — severe aortic stenosis and coarctation — that he needed open heart surgery.
Meg Heslin with baby Sam Forde. Picture: Larry Cummins
'They'd open up his chest, stop his heart for 45 minutes, put him on a bypass machine, and rebuild the vessels coming out of his heart,' says Forde, recalling how frightening it all was.
'After it was explained, I said, 'This sounds like really risky surgery'. In fact the mortality rate is 15% — there was a one in six chance he wouldn't make it.'
But the couple had researched their baby's condition and they understood that without the surgery, 'babies with Sam's condition don't survive past the age of two'. The day of his seven-hour open-heart operation in February was 'the longest day' of their lives. 'The nurses were ringing us every hour to confirm he was doing OK, that it was all still going fine.'
In ICU for four days, Sam was discharged from hospital a week post-surgery.
'They were so happy with his progress. He bounced back amazingly well,' says Forde.
Splashathon fundraiser
When baby-and-toddler swim school Water Babies reached out to Sam's parents, asking if they would participate in Splashathon 2025 — a sponsored swim and fundraiser for the Children's Health Foundation — they didn't think twice. The Children's Health Foundation supports the vital work of CHI at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght, and Connolly.
'Because of our history with Sam and CHI at Crumlin, we wanted to be part of it. We jumped on it. We've shared Sam's story online and, in the last three weeks, he has raised €3,500 for the Children's Health Foundation,' says Heslin.
Since Water Babies began, 16 years ago, it has raised more than €220,000 for children's charities. The school itself has 5,500 babies swimming with them every week in Ireland.
Carol McNally, director of Water Babies and a swim teacher, says classes cater for children up to five years. 'The maximum we'd have in a class is 10 parents and children. In the smaller pools, we'd have four to five parents. Classes are 30 minutes.'
While some parents are themselves nervous swimmers and 'a bit anxious' about how their baby will react, others are coming with their second, third, or fourth baby.
Carol McNally, director of Water Babies and a swim teacher.
'Our job is to help them relax in the water, to enjoy the experience. In the first class, we teach them how to hold their baby in the water, how to relax them; we put baby in the swim position, lying on its tummy. Mums and dads are mostly walking, not swimming; they're in a supportive role.'
Depending on age, McNally says little ones in the water will want to be 'pulled around. Some will kick, some splash, they're very curious about the water, exploring the feel of it'. She says that by moving their limbs, they're resisting the water. 'It's a really nice exercise for them from a young age.'
It's all 'very cute', she says. 'You see their little legs moving, they're holding onto their toes. Some are giving out, because they don't want to be lying on their back. The parents are very focused on their babies — there's lots of eye contact, smiles, and giggles.'
Aside from learning a lifelong skill, water safety, and water confidence, there are other benefits for babies and toddlers. 'We use repetitive patterns, movements. We repeat words. It's building cognitive pathways in their brain. It's fantastic for baby and parent bonding. And there's a social aspect for the parents, too — we've had many form lifelong friendships.'
Water is a great leveller, she says. 'We've had babies with limb deficiencies, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and spina bifida. We can adapt for different needs and developmental stages. Any movement in the water — any kicking, pulling, splashing — is all exercise. We often hear feedback from physiotherapists that swimming is doing great things for babies and toddlers with special needs, improving their co-ordination and muscle strength.'
Safe in the water and with mum
Shared activities between parent and baby — such as swimming or playing in the water — help scaffold the emotional, neurological, and social building blocks of the infant's brain, says senior paediatric clinical psychologist Claire Crowe.
'Parent-and-baby swimming affords an opportunity to build trust and sensitive, attuned parenting. Some babies really are water babies and immerse themselves readily in both the activity and the water.
"Others are more hesitant or fearful. Responding to these cues helps your baby learn that the water is safe, but, more importantly, that, 'I'm safe when I'm with my parent'. Water activities really encapsulate mutual enjoyment, and mutual trust.
Senior paediatric clinical psychologist Claire Crowe.
'The baby's brain is developing and in these water activities there's a gorgeous opportunity to develop these nurturing, responsive moments that help co-create a little person who's emotionally regulated and resilient.'
Crowe recalls her second daughter toddling around the edge of the pool and never going near the water. 'It took weeks of me happily smiling and waving to her before she'd allow herself be in the water. My job, as parent, was to stay regulated, to offer her choice, and to know she'd get there when she was ready. Now she's a real mermaid in the water.'
Crowe sees first-hand how parents whose children have had to stay in hospital often have to wait much longer before they can do the 'normal' activities of parenthood. 'Those moments where they're finally bringing their baby to something like a swim class are momentous for them.'
She says water activities offer 'real brain gains' for babies. 'Proprioception — where the brain learns the position of the body in space without needing visual cues for it — can be compromised in an unwell infant, because they've been lying down for long periods. Parent-and-baby swimming provides a lovely scaffold to develop this skill in a way that feels fun, playful and sociable.'
In Carrigaline, Meg Heslin knew even before Sam was born that she would bring him to Water Babies. 'My dad is in the RNLI in Crosshaven, so my sister and I grew up really aware of water safety. I just wanted Sam to know how to swim from a very young age.'
Heslin started Sam in Water Babies last November, well before she and Forde knew he would need open-heart surgery.
'He loved the water. Then he missed seven weeks. He didn't go back until four weeks ago. It was like starting from scratch again. He's fine for the first half, then he gets a bit teary; it's about building back his confidence.
'It definitely gives us a bond, and it's very fun — it's a lot of songs and splashing. It's great for him, seeing babies his age — there's one boy who he loves having a bit of a splash with.'
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