It was 7am when Loren Bowcock got the phone call. Her baby was seriously unwell and she needed to get to hospital as soon as possible.
The 29-year-old dropped everything and made her way to the intensive care unit. Once there, she watched on helplessly as doctors crowded around her daughter's tiny body.
Loren, who lives in the Heaton area of Bolton, had just been taken into a private family room when she heard an emergency buzzer go off – describing it as one of the worst sounds she’s ever heard.
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Her five-month-old daughter Matilda had gone into cardiac arrest. In total, her heart stopped for a whole seven minutes.
Miraculously, Matilda pulled through and is now stable after spending some time in critical care at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
But mum-of-three Loren will never forget the moment she thought she’d lose her baby girl – saying she still lives in fear the tot’s body will give up on her.
“I thought I was going to lose her,” Loren, who also has children Harley, 11, and Mya, seven, said.
“I just couldn’t even think straight. You just can’t - it’s so hard to take in that information. There are no words.”
"When [the hospital] rings you to tell you something, you know they don’t ring you if she’s alright.
“I knew how poorly she was. I rang my mum and dad and they came from Bolton to be with me. The consultant said her heart stopped beating for seven minutes.”
Everything appeared fine with Loren’s pregnancy until she went for her 20-week scan. A sonographer was scanning Matilda’s heart when she noticed some of her arteries were crossed over.
Loren pushed to see a consultant and unborn Matilda was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries, or TGA.
TGA is a serious, rare heart problem where the two main arteries leaving the heart are reversed. The condition is present at birth and is a congenital heart defect.
Matilda was born on November 18, 2022 at Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Within just 30 minutes, the tiny tot was transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital where she had her very first surgery to help her oxygen flow.
At just 12-days-old, Matilda had open heart surgery – an operation that lasted nine-and-a-half hours. When care assistant Loren was allowed to see her later that evening, Matilda’s chest was still wide open.
Matilda has lived in hospital since her birth and Loren has only recently been able to pick her up for the first time.
Hooked up to a breathing machine, the tot went outside for the first time in her life earlier this week for a two-minute walk around the hospital gardens.
“It was her first breath of fresh air, Loren added. “It’s the tiny things like not having the chest drains on. I can pick her up myself; I can actually do things myself so I feel a bit more like a mum now.
“She had her first bath two weeks ago. She’s doing really well compared to where we’ve been but we have a good while to go.”
Matilda has been rushed to the operating theatre 14 times for surgeries including having chest drains attached to her to drain fluid from her lungs.
Now weighing just 10lbs, Matilda is currently being fed via a peg and remains on several different types of medication. It’s not yet known when the youngster can go home.
“She’s stable and doing well but we have a long way to go,” Loren said. She's now urging other expectant mothers to go to their 20-week scan, knowing how vital it was in picking up Loren's condition.
“We’ve gone back and forth a few times where she needs more support," she said. “After everything she’s been through, her lungs are in a bad condition. They’re really wet and just not good; she needs lots of time to grow, recover and get better.”
A Gofundme appeal has been set up to help Loren and her family through this difficult time. To donate, follow the link by clicking here.
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