Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Little Layla at home
Ashleigh Stevenson and her fiancé Gordon Bryce welcomed little Layla into the world in November weighing just 1lb 8oz.
At the time, doctors described her chances of survival as “touch and go”.
However, surpassing the expectations of medics, Layla is now home with her mum and dad and now weighs in at 4lb 10oz.
Ashleigh, 25, said that she was “a wee bit emotional” when she and Gordon left hospital on January 2.
She added: “Layla didn’t need much attention. The nurses were cutting down her tube feeds and they told me on Hogmanay I could go to transitional care so I made the move at 9pm.
“We brought in the bells with fizzy grape juice for us and milk for Layla. I stayed with her another night then that was it — she was allowed home.”
Abertay graduate Ashleigh had previously told the Tele that any day in Perth. He added: “It’s a shock because she wasn’t meant to be here for another month so obviously we weren’t expecting her when she came along.
“Going to work, coming home for a quick shower then going to Dundee took its toll. It was hard getting the time to do things like shopping and we felt bad because we wanted to be with Layla all the time.
“Now she’s home it’s going to make a big difference. I know there are going to be sleepless nights but now we’re home as a family.”
Ashleigh and Gordon, who are due to get married in May, have started an online crowdfunder to show their support for the staff in the neonatal unit.
They hope to raise £500 to help the unit pay for medical equipment and supplies.
Ashleigh said: “Gordon has always said that the NHS staff there don’t get any recognition.
“When Layla first arrived, we looked at how much having a baby costs in America — it can be thousands of pounds. We’ve had that for nothing.
“It’s the absolute least we can do.”
A TINY tot born 12 weeks prematurely in Ninewells has finally been allowed home.