MY BABY GIRL WAS THE SIZE OF A TENNIS BALL
Miracle micro bub Poppy arrived 15 weeks early… and left hospital two years later!
Weighing just 360g and measuring 14cm, little Poppy Mcsween proved all the doctors wrong when she was born, and she continues to astound everyone with her extraordinary fighting spirit.
“It breaks my heart every time I recall the moment doctors suggested an abortion as they thought I would give birth to a stillborn, or there was a high chance of cerebral palsy if she survived,” reveals her mum Hannah.
“But we took the risk and now we have our perfect little girl who might be a little behind the average two-year-old, but she is reaching milestones.”
Hannah, 33, and husband Steve, 34, were overjoyed when they were finally able to take tiny Poppy home – two years after her birth.
“I could tell Poppy was a fighter from the moment I laid my eyes on her and that she would battle on as I had for her,” says Hannah.
“Many obstacles were thrown in her way such as a hole in her heart and sepsis but nothing can bring her down. She is truly getting better every day... we spend every day teaching her a new word.
“I am so glad I trusted my mother’s instinct as I couldn’t imagine my life without her.”
The mum-of-two was told to prepare for the worst when her doctor spotted an issue with her daughter’s development at 18 weeks, and warned that Poppy may have a genetic disorder.
“My placenta stopped working and Poppy wasn’t getting all the nutrients that she needed to continue growing,” Hannah explains. “It was a very traumatic pregnancy as doctors told us she isn’t likely to survive, but we were willing to take the risk because deep down we knew she would.”
In early March 2017, at her 25-week scan, Hannah was rushed into hospital for an e emergency C-section. “I refused to give up on her,” the proud mum s says of her beautiful daughter.
‘I could tell Poppy would battle on as I had for her’