A mum who was told she had suffered a late miscarriage after going into labour at 23 weeks is now preparing to celebrate her daughter's first birthday.
This time last year, new mum Lily Walker was having the worst Christmas imaginable and thought her 'world was falling apart' when after finally getting pregnant, she was told she had suffered a late miscarriage and would not be bringing her daughter home.
But despite the odds, Ava, who was born at just over 1lb, has spent the past year fighting for her life in hospital and after recovering, has been able to go home to the Isle of Wight for the very first time.
Lily and husband David were terrified when Lily went into labour on Boxing Day 2021, at just 23 weeks pregnant. Two days later, medics told her there was nothing they could do to stop her labour, and one consultant explained that she had suffered a late miscarriage.
But Lily refused to give up on her daughter and insisted on a caesarean section on December 28 in the hope that doctors may be able to save her baby's life - even though it was a greater risk for her.
Lily said: "It's been a rollercoaster of a year for us, and I can't believe we are finally celebrating her birthday.
"We struggled to get pregnant and it just felt like we would never get here, but we were determined to fight for our daughter.
"Ava is such an amazing little girl, full of life and smiles. You would never know everything she has been through.
"Last Christmas, we thought our world was falling apart. But this year, it's been the best one ever."
Lily had undergone a routine scan just days before she went into labour last year, where doctors assured her that everything seemed fine.
The couple had found out they were having a little girl, and spent Christmas excitedly picking out a name and looking forward to the year ahead.
But on Boxing Day, Lily noticed she was spotting, and went into hospital. She was reassured it was probably just her cervix softening, but two days later, she started experiencing horrendous cramps, and David rushed her back to hospital.
She said: "I got into hospital and I felt something go pop - I now know it was my waters.
"It had taken us three years to conceive, and we were obviously very nervous about the pregnancy.
"I had just started to relax after the scan, and then the unthinkable happened."
Doctors told Lily that her body had gone into labour at just 23 weeks and five days, and that she needed to deliver Ava.
Lily added: "One consultant told me, 'we just class this as a late miscarriage.' I was stunned, devastated - the room was spinning.
"She was my baby - we had already bonded and I already had that maternal instinct to protect her against all odds.
"I knew already that I would lay down my life for her even then.
"She went on to say that even in the unlikely even Ava did survive, she would be severely disabled.
"They didn't bother hooking me up to a monitor to keep track of Ava's heartbeat, it felt like they didn't expect her to live.
"I was told to continue with a natural labour even though it wasn't progressing. The doctors explained that a caesarean section would give Ava the best chance, but because of the way my placenta was lying, I would have been at higher risk of haemorrhaging and needing a hysterectomy.
"The consultant said: ' You might lose the chance to have another baby if you have a caesarean.' But I didn't want another baby - I already had one and she needed me, so I insisted on doing everything they could to save her."
Lily was put under general anaesthetic for the birth, and when she came round, had no idea whether Ava had survived.
She said: "The first thing I asked the nurse was 'is my baby ok?'
"She told me that she had cried on her own at birth, and they had rushed her to the NICU, but it was still very touch and go.
"I asked how my husband was, as he was obviously in bits the last time I had seen him, thinking he would lose both of us, and she said: 'aren't you going to ask about yourself?'. But I knew I had a child to put first now."
Against all odds, Ava pulled through, despite only weighing 1lb 4oz at birth.
In the last year, she had to undergo 11 anaesthetics, multiple collapsed lungs, dozens of blood transfusions and laser eye surgery and an operation on her eye. She will also need an operation on her heart as she grows bigger to widen an artery.
The pair were transferred to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth for nine weeks, before being transferred to Southampton for more specialist care - before being moved to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Southampton at five months old when she grew too big for the NICU.
As the family live on the Isle of Wight, they were forced to temporarily move across to the mainland to be with Ava - resulting in David losing his job at a bakery.
Lily and David moved into a Ronald McDonald house next to the hospital, which meant they could see their daughter every day.
And last week, Ava was finally well enough to come home - and meet many of her family for the first time.
Lily explained: "My mum had been able to visit Ava in hospital eventually, but not until she was five months old.
"People sent her gifts; she had this cute little yellow teddy when she was born that we had in the incubator with her. She still loves it now and it's amazing to see the size of her now compared to this toy, that seemed huge when she was born.
"She has only met a handful of her family, so we're planning a huge birthday celebration for her.
"Despite being so isolated for so much of her life, she is such a happy and sociable baby.
"She loves singing, and lights, and pulling my hair. She's an absolute joy.
"She's the best gift we ever could have asked for."
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