MUM’S FUNDRAISER

NATALIE and Daniel Mcneill made a promise to their little son Cohan when he was just four days old – that they would speak of him every day.

The proud parents vowed to keep his memory alive after he passed away in their arms just 10 weeks ago in a bid to help other families and babies across Northern Ireland.

In memory of their brave 1lb 3oz baby, the family have pledged to give back to nurses at the Royal Victoria Hospital Neonatal Ward, who they describe as “living angels”.

Mum Natalie, from Short Strand, East Belfast, said: “At our 20-week scan we found out Cohan had fluid in the brain so we were referred to Fetal Medicine.

“We had a scan there one week later which showed he had fluid in the ventricles and in his kidneys.

“We had an Amniocentesis carried out which came back clear but on Saturday night I started to feel sick with contraction-like pains.

“We went to the hospital and were told there was a 10% chance I would have had Cohan that week so I was admitted and put on a drip, but it wasn’t working.

“On the Sunday morning, I started to bleed and I needed to be brought to the delivery room.

“I delivered my waters that evening and my labour stopped. On Monday my infection still hadn’t cleared so they induced the labour.

“They thought Cohan wasn’t going to come and they turned off the drip.

“The neonatal team wasn’t out the door two minutes and Cohan was born.

AWE

“He was breathing on his own and we were in awe of him.”

However, Cohan’s condition deteriorated overnight which sparked concerns for doctors.

They were told by their consultant he was getting “really sick” and with the help of the neonatal team, Cohan was baptised in the ward surrounded by his parents, grandparents, brother Caodain and sister Eliza.

Natalie said: “We knew he was ill but he was responding to our touch and he was holding onto our fingers.

“It wasn’t until that day we found out he was bleeding into his brain and to his lungs.

“His body wasn’t working and the medical team were doing their part but his wee body just couldn’t cope.

“On day four, the fight became too difficult for our sweet boy and he passed away in our arms on November 14, 2019.

“The neonatal team made sure he did not die in his incubator and that is something we’ll forever cherish.

“The nurses gave us our own private room, to soak up every second with Cohan on the day we knew he would be passing.

“They allowed for our closest family members to come in and

EAST BELFAST YESTERDAY

spend time with him, for his brother and sister to fuss over him and to make a print picture of their hand prints together.

“They give us space to grieve and allowed us time with our baby boy.

“They even provided a bedroom that’s part of the Neonatal Unit so we could stay with Cohan until the next morning, otherwise we would have had to send him to the cool room on his own. That would’ve been unbearable.” To highlight awareness for other grieving parents and to honour the RVH nurses, Natalie and Daniel have set up a Just Giving page with the hope of raising £20,000 to be used to buy hospital essentials. Daniel told the Mirror the nurses were “outstanding” and they helped