A miracle Scots baby has celebrated his first birthday after fighting pulling through on his 'final chance' in his fight for life.
Lauren and David Robertson brought in the 2021 bells in a neonatal ambulance with their newborn following his arrival at Wishaw University Hospital.
Lauren had gone into hospital when her waters broke after just 25 weeks before undergoing a C-section at 38 weeks.
But after little Struan was delivered, doctors quickly discovered that he was unable to breathe for himself, reports Glasgow Live.
The newborn was diagnosed with PPHN (Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension) - a condition in which blood cannot get into the lungs to pick up oxygen, meaning the body does not have enough oxygen for the brain and other organs.
The family, from Wishaw, were left helpless as University Hospital in Wishaw worked tirelessly to stabilise Struan's breathing.
His doctor told Struan's parents their baby's 'final chance' was specialist Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) treatment at the RHC in Glasgow .
Lauren said: “When Struan was born he was in a really poor condition, he was struggling to breathe for himself and the team at Wishaw tried everything before the consultant said the final chance he had was to have ECMO treatment in Glasgow.
“At about 11:30pm we were transferred to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, bringing in the bells in the neonatal ambulance. Thankfully Struan was suitable for the treatment and he had surgery through the night before starting ECMO.”
Struan spent the next eight days receiving ECMO treatment, which does the job of the heart and lungs.
The family was finally able to take Struan home on February 5.
His parents have now praised staff at the hospitals for their round-the-clock care that saved his life.
Lauren, 33, said: “As a mum, you expect that you will be able to provide everything that your newborn baby needs.
"When Struan was struggling we were so grateful to the teams at Wishaw and the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow who were delivering the best care that we could have wished for. We were so lucky that these experts and treatments were available for our son in Glasgow.
“As soon as we arrived at the Royal Hospital for Children, we felt comforted and supported by the amazing staff, the care was second to none. It wasn’t just even the care they gave to Struan, but the support they offered to all of us.
"Freya [Struan's sister] wasn’t able to see her wee brother, but the nurses would wave to her from the window during our outdoor visits so that she knew where Struan was and who was helping him. This made her feel like she was there for him too."
Little Struan is now getting stronger every day following an incredible recovery and has just celebrated his first birthday.
Lauren and David have been surprised and delighted by the progress their “wee star” is making.
David, 34, said: “He’s doing so well and while he didn’t have the easiest of starts he is playing away in the same way his big sister was at that age.
“Everything has been getting better and better, he’s sitting up and is already desperate to walk. Staff continually went above and beyond for us as a family, we can’t thank them enough.”
Dr Colin Peters, Consultant Neonatologist at the RHC, said: “We are so pleased to see how well Struan is doing following his ECMO treatment.
“The Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow is the only unit in Scotland where this life-saving specialist treatment is delivered and is done so by a team of hard-working and highly-trained nurses, neonatologists, surgeons and perfusionists with support from laboratories and many other specialists. I cannot speak highly enough of the dedication and commitment of the team who work around the clock to provide such a high-level of care.
“I would also to thank the team at University Hospital in Wishaw and our colleagues from the ScotSTAR Neonatal Transport Service for the support and care they provided.”
