Little miracle

TINY baby Aimee Pidgley clung on to life from the moment she was born - and it is that tenacity which has helped her to survive. When their daughter was born prematurely back in 1997 she weighed just 1lb 10oz and parents Liz and Jamie were told repeatedly that their daughter wouldn't even make it through the night.

"On four occasions we were taken into the consultant's room to be told that she would die within the next 24 hours," said Liz, of Reed Drive, Marchwood.

"But each time she survived. On the last occasion I said 'I'm sorry, dying is not an option for this child. She has come this far - she must not die'."

When Liz and her fiance found out she was pregnant, the couple were overjoyed. They planned to marry in the autumn after their baby had arrived.

But early in her pregnancy Liz noticed she had swollen hands and feet, shortness of breath and other symptoms that indicated all was not well.

A trained nurse, she had just graduated from university where she had studied for a science degree.

Her midwife told her not to worry and everything was okay with mother and baby, so Liz and Jamie took a holiday in Ireland.

On her return, Liz started to feel seriously ill. Initially doctors thought she had salmonella food poisoning.

But further tests at Southampton's Princess Anne Hospital revealed she was uffering from pre-eclampsia, a condition where fluid in the placenta prevents oxygen and food reaching the baby.

"From then on it was a blur for four or five days.

"I remember being told they had to get this baby out because I was so ill.

"They wanted to give me a general anaesthetic but I refused. I thought if my baby is going to die I want to be awake for that," she said.

Instead Liz was given an epidural and the medical team set to work to save Liz's life. They did not expect her tiny baby to survive and so concentrated on saving the mother.

"Jamie isn't very good with operations so my mum Molly came in with me.

"When the baby was born they said 'It's a girl'. I canremember crying my eyes out and saying 'I've got my Aimee'.

"They started to shush me and told me to be quiet or I wouldn't hear her crying.

"All I could hear was a pathetic little whimper."

Jamie, 40, a drayman, and Liz, 35, a special needs teacher, were so concerned that Aimee might not survive, they brought forward their wedding so she could have her father's name.

"Three weeks after she was born we got married. Originally the wedding was going to take place in the hospital but I was well enough to go the register office.

"We did hold the reception at the hospital - and the staff were fantastic. They decorated the canteen and made it look wonderful.

"After so much uncertainty and sadness, it was good to have something so enjoyable happen. I had a tiny dress with rosebuds on it for Aimee to wear, which I have kept."

Weighing less than a bag of sugar, Aimee received round the clock care but there were setbacks from the start.

One of her lungs popped and the other collapsed shortly afterwards. She contracted pneumonia and when she developed chicken pox a vaccine was flown in from America to treat her.

Sadly this also resulted in her developing pneumonia again.

While Liz regained her own strength after the traumatic birth, her maternal instinct kicked in together with the medical knowledge she had gained from working at the same hospital where her baby was now being treated.

"I had to wear two hats - one as a mother and one as a nurse. There were times when I had to forget about being a mother in order to make medical decisions.

"There were times when the doctors told me they did not know what else to try for Aimee and it was then that I used my medical knowledge to suggest other treatments.

"I had worked on respiratory cases in adults and when the steroids they were giving Aimee did not seem to be working, I suggested they treat her as they would an asthmatic.

"At first they were worried but I thought that if she was going to die we had to try everythingpossible.

"Now the treatments they pioneered with Aimee have been used with other babies."

The Pidgleys are full of praise for the medical team who saved mother and child - and Liz now helps other mothers who have experienced pre-eclampsia. She campaigns on behalf of Action on Pre-eclampsia and has shared her experiences with both mothers and medical experts.

"If it hadn't been for the staff on the neo-natal unit, neither Aimee or myself would be here," she said.

"They were just wonderful and they continue to monitor Aimee."

Now aged seven, Aimee is attending a mainstream school and with extra support she has made significant advances.

"The doctors told us at the time that three babies like Aimee are born each year and of those, only one will survive.

"I was so chuffed with her on sports day because she gave 110 per cent effort and she was chosen to receive the cup with another little girl on merit, not because she has overcome so much."

For information about pre-eclampsia visit: www.apec.org.uk