A new mum has described the terror of ending up in intensive care just days after her son was born 10 weeks premature. Jordan Williams, 24, gave birth to her first child Arthur on April 10 this year – more than two months before his June 15 due date. Just days later Jordan, who lives in Newport but is originally from Swansea, was admitted to hospital with sepsis and at one stage was in intensive care in the same hospital as her new baby boy.
Speaking to WalesOnline Jordan said she and her partner Paul Jennings, 54, were hugely fearful when she went into the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran earlier this year, given their son was not expected for several months. "It was quite traumatic," she said. "I went into hospital at 29 weeks with bleeding and they wanted to stop the labour and keep me in until I was 34 weeks. I was contracting but not dilating."
Jordan said she stayed in hospital and reached 30 weeks before doctors decide to have Arthur born by C-section. "It was a decision that was made because I was contracting but not dilating," she said. "They couldn't just leave me for another four weeks. Obviously with that there was a high risk that Arthur wasn't going to make it because he was two and a half months early."
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Arthur William Jennings was born by Caesarean at 3.31am on April 10 weighing just 3lb 12oz – a healthy weight for a baby born so far ahead of their due date. "We were very lucky that he was a good weight," Jordan said. "Most babies born at that stage are at the 2-3lb mark so we really were very lucky. But he was taken straight to intensive care to establish feeding and growing because he was so little."
Jordan was able to go home four days after her C-section but Arthur had to stay in for a total of four weeks before he could be brought home. A few days after she got home Jordan took a turn for the worse herself. "I was home and I started to feel really unwell so I went back into hospital for checks," she said. "That's when I had a temperature of 41 degrees and obviously that is a symptom of sepsis that I wasn't aware of.
"I had silent symptoms – a high fever, sweats. But I was suffering from post-partum sweats anyway so I just didn't think much of it. There were no obvious symptoms to me."
Jordan was immediately taken for tests and observation and ended up spending 16 days in intensive care and high dependency due to sepsis. She was started on antibiotics and had to have two spinal blood patches to try to relieve the migraines she was having after her surgery.
Due to the complications from Arthur's birth there was a point where both Jordan and her new baby were in intensive care – something she admitted was hard for partner Paul. "When I was readmitted with sepsis I was in ICU and Arthur was in the ICU of the neo-natal unit. I was allowed to see him but there were days when I couldn't because I couldn't get out of bed and he couldn't be transferred to me.
"It was obviously very difficult for Paul – he could only take one week off work after the birth because he's self-employed. So when we were in he was only able to visit in the evenings. There are still rules in place because of Covid."
Jordan said Arthur had to stay in hospital for four weeks before being allowed home to finally meet his family including siblings Danica, 21, and Connor, 18, who are both Paul's kids, along with sister-in-law Ella-Faye, 19, as well as Jordan's parents, Paul's mum, and Jordan's grandparents and great-grandparents. And several months on she said the pair's new arrival is thriving.
"Arthur is brilliant," Jordan said. "He's 11lb 11oz so he's a little chunk. He's a healthy, happy little boy, smiling and cooing. He's hit all his milestones." After what they've been through Jordan is now taking on a skydive to raise funds for the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) in the Grange to thank the staff she says saved both her and Arthur's lives. She has already raised more than £250 and you can view the campaign here.
"I've always wanted to do a charity skydive anyway and I couldn't think of a better way to thank the staff and raise money for the equipment they need," she said. "I want them to be able to provide more equipment for babies. Without that I genuinely don't believe that Arthur and I would be here. I've booked it for next April, weather-permitting. It will be my first time – and it might be the last too!"
A spokesman from Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: "Thank you so much to Jordan for this amazing pledge to raise funds for our neonatal department with a skydive to honour Arthur’s first birthday. We really appreciate all the fundraising efforts and kind words about our staff – they truly are wonderful. We are so pleased that Arthur is now home and thriving with his family. Good luck Jordan!”
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