Lucy Shaw, from Staffordshire, gave birth to premature twins at home and when the babies arrived at hospital they were so cold they had “unrecordable body temperatures”
Image: University Hospitals of North Midlands)
A mum who mistook labour pains for a stomach bug gave birth to premature twins who were so cold they had “unrecordable body temperatures” when they reached hospital.
Lucy Shaw, from Biddulph, Staffordshire, delivered her first baby, Jacob, with the help of her mum, before his brother, Jaxon, appeared 15 minutes later shortly after paramedics arrived at the house.
The 34-year-old and the newborns, delivered at 30 weeks were taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital’s neo-natal unit needing urgent care with Jacob weighing 3lb 9oz and his twin 3lb 8oz. “Jacob and Jaxon really are true miracle babies.
On arrival they were so cold that they had unrecordable body temperatures, they both had blood acid levels that were not consistent with survival and they also had low blood pressures,” said Lee Abbott, Clinical Lead, Neonatology at UHNM said. But the twins are now thriving four weeks after their surprise birth on July 5.
“I woke up in the early hours feeling unwell and thought I had a tummy bug. A few hours later I called my mum because by then, I was in a lot of pain. When she arrived she took one look at me and called for an ambulance, it was definitely not a tummy bug,” said Lucy.
(
Image:
StokeSentinel)
“Whilst mum was on the phone to the operator, they asked if she could see anything and it then dawned on me to check and I could feel a head. I kept trying not to push and was saying they can’t come yet as it’s too soon but the operator told me I must push if I felt like I needed to. A few minutes later, Jacob was born at 6am with my mum delivering him just as the paramedics arrived to then deliver Jaxon at 6.15am.”
Jacob and Jaxon were taken to Royal Stoke where they were admitted to the neonatal unit and put on ventilators to help them breathe while Lucy was also taken to the birthing suite due to blood loss. “The care the neonatal unit has provided for us has been amazing,” said Lucy.
“I didn’t know what to expect and found the whole situation very overwhelming but everyone was so supportive and reassuring. I knew Jacob and Jaxon were under the best care. Within a week they were both breathing on their own.
“The nurses and assistants have helped and encouraged us every step of the way to ensure we still felt like the boy’s parents. At first, even just changing a nappy on such a tiny baby was quite scary but with the nurse’s support, we soon got the hang of it as well as learning to feed them via an NG tube. I really can’t thank the team enough for taking care of our boys.”
Lee Abbott, at UHNM added about the “miracle” babies: “They have both pulled through are doing incredibly well and are expected to be able to go home with minimal special care. I would also like to recognise the excellent efforts of the paramedic team at WMAS for their high standard care, without whom this amazing outcome would not have been possible.”
