A heartbroken family have described the devastating final moments they have had with their daughter before she died at just six days old. Amanda Hallam was due to give birth to her baby Martha on March 16 last year.
But months before her due date on November 21, she was admitted to Nottingham City Hospital threatening preterm labour, at 23 weeks and 4 days pregnant. As a baby’s survival at 22 weeks is only 10 percent, increasing to 60-70 percent from 24 weeks, Martha's parents were told to prepare for the worst.
Thankfully, within 24 hours, labour had stopped. But for the next four days Mrs Hallam remained on the labour suite with constant monitoring, until in the early hours of November 26 when her "waters broke unexpectedly".
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The 37-year-old communications officer from Long Bennington, added: "The chance of a baby surviving at just 22 weeks gestation is possible, but unlikely. So they were trying to do everything they could to try and get me to 24 weeks. We were celebrating everyday that we got closer. But then my waters broke unexpectedly on Thursday, and that is how Martha arrived."
Mrs Hallam and her husband said they had "tough conversations" before Martha arrived, and they were told to be prepared for the neonatal ward. "An army of neonatal doctors were in the theatre ready to look after her. They said she did not look very well immediately after she was born. But then she did fight to breathe.
"And because she was fighting, they fought for her as well," Mrs Hallam said, while holding her tears. Martha was taken to the neonatal ward, and her condition was described as 'stable' at the time, her parents said.
The premature baby was looked after 24 hours a day, the family explained. "We got to see her about six hours after my caesarean section," said Mrs Hallam.
Martha had an infection which she struggled with because her lungs were not fully developed. "The doctors said she was feisty," the mum said.
However, Martha started deteriorating, and her distressed mum called her husband, Adrian, to come to the hospital on Wednesday, December 1. "We also have a little boy Henry, who is five, so my husband was at home with him.
"I called Adrian and told him that he needs to come over because Martha's taken a turn." The couple eventually went to have some rest at 2am on the Thursday morning, in a bedroom on the neonatal ward.
"At six in the morning the nurses were banging on the door and said we had to come immediately," the mum said, while remembering the tragedy. The parents rushed to the incubator, where the doctors were trying to resuscitate Martha.
"Martha was very, very poorly. If we wanted our family to meet her, then we needed to get them to the hospital. So my mum and Adrian's parents came over. In the time that they were travelling, they had to resuscitate her again and they succeeded."
Martha was resuscitated a third time before the parents had to make a difficult decision. "Adrian had to say to doctors that if her heart dropped again, to not resuscitate her and not put her through it anymore," Mrs Hallam said.
Martha died in her mum's arms, while her grandparents and dad were also in the room holding hands. "A doctor remarked her as a fighter, and she was incredibly feisty as she only weighed 810 grams when she was born and was extremely poorly."
The family are still mourning their loss, Martha's dad Mr Hallam adding: "We have a little boy Henry, who is just five years old and we want to give him a normal upbringing. We took the decision that he was too young to come in when his sister died. Henry never got to meet his sister.
"But he has been the most extraordinary source of hope and he has just been phenomenal. He has been everything that we could have asked for him with such a loss that left our family devastated."
The family are raising money for Nottingham University Hospitals Charity in Martha's honour. Mr Hallam added: "On September 10 there will be a team of 50 people including friends, family and colleagues and we will be walking from Nottingham City Hospital Maternity Unit to our home in Long Bennington, a distance of over 20 miles, travelling the journey our daughter Martha should have made with us."
They have praised the "amazing nurses and doctors who fought for Martha". Mr Hallam added: "We will be aiming to raise money for the NICU, to redevelop the Garden Room for parents caring for premature babies." They have now raised £7,509 of the £18,104 goal.
Nigel Gregory, deputy chief executive of Nottingham Hospitals Charity, said: “We are incredibly moved that Amanda and Adrian have chosen to raise money for the Neonatal Unit in memory of Martha. The money raised through this Saturday’s walk will make a real difference to other families being cared for on the Neonatal Unit. The Hallam family and their fundraising team will be in our thoughts as they take on Martha’s March this weekend.”
All the money raised will go towards fully refurbishing for the Garden Room on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Nottingham City Hospital, to make the room a "less clinical environment" for families with premature or sick new-born babies. If you would like to donate towards their cause, visit their fundraising page.
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