Family’s joy as baby Freya celebrates 1st birthday
Date published: 16 January 2009
A MIRACLE baby, who survived against all the odds after being born three months early, celebrates her first birthday today.
Little Freya Williams spent four weeks on a life support machine after she arrived into the world in the back of an ambulance weighing only 2lbs 11oz on January 16 last year.
The Royal Oldham Hospital’s special care baby unit became a second home for her anxious parents, Ann Murray (39) and Jeff Williams (40), as the tiny tot underwent four blood transfusions and a lumbar puncture in her battle for survival.
“It was touch and go and a few days after she was born she had one particular setback where literally every hour counted,” said Ann.
“It was utterly horrendous and for a while we just didn’t think she would make it.”
But brave Freya was not going to give up that easily and, with help from the dedicated staff, she was finally allowed home 141/2 weeks after she was born.
The drama had started when Ann woke up in excruciating pain on January 16 last year to find her waters were breaking.
She said: “I’d been suffering with pelvic problems while I was pregnant, but I had been receiving treatment. I was terrified that I was losing the baby. We had these amazing paramedics called Jackie and Dave who were told that the Oldham and Rochdale hospitals were full, so we would have to go to Tameside, but they said it was a life and death situation and got us to Oldham.
“Once there all the staff poured into the ambulance and Freya just came really quickly. They rushed her off and we were in agony for more than four hours as we waited to see her. When we first went into her room, it was heartbreaking, She had tubes and ventilators all over her.
“It was a rollercoaster. The hardest part was keeping a brave face on for our other daughter, Ella (10), while we were in turmoil but she was incredibly brave throughout.
“The first time we thought there might be some light at the end of the tunnel was when Freya left intensive care at six weeks.
“Ella had bought her a Mini Mouse teddy and the teddy was bigger than her at first, so we used it as a way of measuring her growth over the weeks.
“We’re so thankful to the staff in the baby unit and the paramedics. They were wonderful.”
And as the family mark the first birthday they thought might never arrive with a party at their Moorside home, Ann and Jeff, who also has another daughter, are in no hurry to forget just how special Freya is.
Ann said: “Despite everything that Freya has been through, she’s a wonderful, happy baby and an absolute inspiration. There’s no doubt that she’s a little miracle to come through what she did.”
Consultant paediatrician Padma Kumar said: “Freya had a really difficult time and had quite a few setbacks, but she’s done incredibly well.
“She has come on leaps and bounds and we’re really pleased for her and her family.
“Cases like Freya’s help to make our job extremely rewarding and we’ll all be thinking of her on her birthday.”
