The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Tot defies odds to survive
Fife tot Harvey Cowan, born four months early weighing no more than a bag of sugar, has defied the odds by battling back to celebrate his first birthday after mum Sarah was warned he would struggle to survive.
A FIFE tot born four months early weighing no more than a bag of sugar has battled back to celebrate his first birthday this Monday.
Harvey Cowan has defied the odds after mum Sarah was warned he would struggle to survive after being born at just 1lb 5½oz.
However, his birthday will be a day of mixed emotions for the 19-year-old mother as she mourns the loss of Harvey’s twin sister Millie, who died aged just 47 days.
The babies were not due until August but Sarah’s waters broke at the end of April and the twins were born on May 5.
Sarah, who is also mum to Ollie, 2, said: “My water had broken a few weeks before so the doctors built me up, saying they didn’t expect them to survive as they were so premature.
“I had been in and out of hospital getting checks and blood done then one Sunday I woke up and felt something wasn’t right. When I went in to hospital I went into labour and in no time had laboured them both.
“We didn’t really have any hope they might survive but they cried when they came out so the nurses managed to put them on a ventilator and keep them going.”
The twins were delivered in Kirkcaldy but were then transferred after six hours to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
Although Millie, who was born 1lb 6oz, had a number of health problems, she still managed to cling on to life for a month and a half.
Sarah added: “She wasn’t really gaining weight and she had two holes in her heart.
“She was going to be sent to Glasgow for surgery but they wanted to try and get her off her ventilator first.
“They started giving her steroids to build her up for that but when they took her off the ventilator it went downhill from there.”
Thankfully Harvey showed better progress but her baby boy was still not able get out of hospital until September.
“He took a couple of attempts to get off his ventilator. He initially weighed just a bag of sugar really but began gaining quite good weight.
“He came home with oxygen and medication. He just got off his oxygen in February and also used to go into the hospital for monthly sleepovers.
“He was 14lb 6oz the last time he got weighed. He’s lagging a bit behind where he should be but he’s started on his solids now so hopefully that will boost him up.”
A former pupil of Bell Baxter High School in Cupar, Sarah graduated in beauty therapy last year but has put her career on hold to devote her time to caring for her boys.
Although she is a single mum, Sarah has support from her mum Liz and sister Leanne, 23.
Now the family are looking forward to welcoming brother Sean, 20, home from Australia in time for Harvey’s birthday celebrations.
Sarah said: “It will be a day of mixed emotions.
“We have ordered flowers for Millie for when we visit the cemetery but we are also all going out for a family meal to celebrate Harvey’s first birthday and my brother coming home.”