The woman who woke up to find she'd given birth to 1lb baby
Baby Tyler was born prematurely at just 24 weeks while his mum, Gemma Jamieson, went in and out of consciousness
A woman woke up from having a life-threatening seizure to find out she'd given birth to a premature baby, weighing just 1lb. Gemma Jamieson, 23, from Hull, was 24 weeks pregnant - and hadn't even felt her baby kick - when she suffered a seizure brought on by pre-eclampsia.
"Gemma was sitting in the car and she shouted at me because her shoulder was twitching," her husband Dale said to the Mirror. "It just suddenly escalated and she was having a big fit. I just couldn't believe what was happening.
"I managed to give her mouth to mouth - the paramedics said that if I hadn't been there she might not have even made it to the hospital."
At hospital, Gemma had a second violent seizure and doctors said the only chance of saving Gemma's life was to deliver her baby. Tyler was delivered by caesarean section while both his and Gemma's life hung in the balance. The new mum then spent 3 days going in and out of consciousness. "I don't remember giving birth to Tyler or seeing him at all," she said. "I have no memory of what happened."
When Gemma finally woke up, her husband had to explain what happened. "I remember waking up and my husband, Dale, showing me a picture of a baby on his phone, and explaining it was our son," she said. "Dale told me how much our baby weighed, how old he was, that he was very poorly and being treated in a different hospital.
More like this
"I couldn't believe what had happened, to know that I'd missed out on his birth, and that all our relatives had seen him before me was almost too much to bear.
"Giving birth is one of the biggest moments of a women's life - and I missed it. I just wanted to see him straight away and make sure he was ok."
But Gemma had to endure an agonising 7-day wait while she recovered from the near fatal pre-eclampsia that had caused her seizures before she finally met her son, Tyler, now 17 months. "Dale led me into a room full of newborn babies and I had to ask which was ours," she said. "But as soon as I saw Tyler I burst into tears - I felt bonded with him immediately. All my energy was focused on him and helping him get better."
It took a full year for Tyler to be well enough to go home. He had a heart operation and 5 lots of laser eye surgery to save his sight. "He's gone from strength to strength and about three weeks before his first birthday in July, he finally came off his oxygen for good," the proud mum said.
He was then well enough to attend his parents' wedding in the autumn. "Tyler is really the fighter in all of this," Gemma said.
Photos: Facebook / Gemma Jamieson
Read more:
Authors
How NatPat's wellness patches may help your family
NatPat's range of wellness patches and stickers aim to tackle everything from allergies to lack of focus. We take a closer look at the range.