Kiwi family’s little miracle ‘THEY TOLD US OUR BOY WOULDN’T MAKE IT’
Born at just 23 weeks, wee Kayden spent four months fighting for his life in hospital
Like most doting parents, Alexandra and Lee Woodworth say bringing their two precious children into the world was a dream come true, but for the Auckland couple, it’s been a particularly bumpy start to family life.
After their daughter Sylvie, now two, was born prematurely, Alexandra’s second pregnancy was classed as high risk. But despite the nerves, she was determined to stay positive.
“I had a cervical stitch and I was optimistic that everything would go as planned the second time around,” Alexandra tells Woman’s Day. “Then my waters ruptured at just 21 weeks.”
Due to the risk of infection, the 35-year-old was whisked into surgery to have the stitch removed, while doctors told her to prepare for the worst if she went into early labour.
“I cried my eyes out in that surgery room,” recalls Alexandra. “As it was still quite early in the pregnancy, the doctors said my baby wasn’t viable and they wouldn’t intervene to save him. I saw the baby resuscitation machine wasn’t even turned on.”
Thankfully, labour didn’t start straight away and Alexandra – who persuaded doctors to change the baby’s due date after a scan revealed he was big for his age – went home to spend her days on bed rest. But before long, she was back in hospital. With labour stopping and starting, the terrified mum was determined to hold on to hope. Then her worst fears came true.
“Feeling pressure, I went to the bathroom to pee and I looked down to see my baby coming out,” she remembers. “All I could do was put my hands out to catch him and hit the emergency bell. The room suddenly filled up with people. I could feel his heart pounding in my hands and that was when I knew he had a chance.”
Baby Kayden was born at just 575 grams, only slightly larger than a block of butter, and Alexandra believes changing his due date helped to save his life. He went on to spend a full 118 days in Auckland Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.
“When I first saw him in the incubator, he was covered in tubes and machinery, and I