Baby wey dem give one day to live, celebrate 1 year birthday

Wen Marie Claire Tully bin born her son Hector, prematurely afta 23 weeks for belle, doctors say e fit get only one day to live.

Dem tell im mama make e tell am bye-bye becos im bin get low chance of survival.

But Hector defy di odds and Marie Claire "miracle baby" don celebrate im first birthday.

Im mama say dis na happiest year of her life.

So far, e don spend pass half of im life, 259 days for inside hospital afta dem born am wit serious complications sake of im premature birth.

E get hydrocephalus wey mean say spinal fluid no fit enta around di bodi, becos of di bleeding for im brain.

Hector also get chronic lung disease, retinopathy, feeding tube and centralised sleep apnea.

Marie Clare wey be 41 say, "E dey very unlucky sake of say di shunt inside im head dey kontinu to block".

Dem born Hector for 12 November 2021 wen Covid restriction mean say im enta isolation afta im birth till im test negative for Covid.

Marie Clare and im papa Angus, bin no fit visit dia son for di first 40 hours of im life.

Staff of di hospital bin send di couple picture of updates of dia tiny son while im battle for im life inside incubator.

Marie Clare tell BBC Scotland say, "I see am wen I born am and give am kiss before dem cover am wit plastic so e go dey warm and carry am go di resuscitating department".

She say afta almost two days, dem bin dey allowed to visit Hector shortly and afta five days dem allow dem to stay wit dia pikin day and night.

'Di way I shout ehn'

Afta 42 days, doctors comot di pikin ventilator and say im go live.

Marie Clare say "wen I hear, di way I shout ehn, e comot from di bottom off my soul. I bin no fit explain, e be di greatest feeling for di world.

"We bin still get long way to go but to know say di team bin tink e go survive bin dey so great".

Hector go home five months afta dem born am for April 2022.

E still be regular patient for di Royal Hospital for Children and Young Pipo, so far e don get 15 operations and don rush go A&E 25 times.

Hydrocephalus symptoms

Di damage to di brain wey hydrocephalus dey cause dey very plenti including headache, beinf sick, blurry vision and walking dificulty.

Even wit all dat wahala im mama say, "I feel like na me lucky pass, na fun, e dey bring plenti joy to plenti pipo.

"I dey so proud of am. E be miracle."

For Scotland, 4,000 babies dey born prematurely every year but only small percentage dey before 28 weeks.

Medical advances mean say even pickin wey comot at 22 weeks fit dey saved but research show say na only four in ever 10 pikin wey dem born at 23 weeks dey survive.

"Na because of pipo positive prayers na im make am pull through. We make sire every day dey great for am", na im she tok.

Marie Clare say im blow her mind di way di staff for hospital bin dey supportive.

Di couple bin don lose baby in pregnancy three years before so di belle wey Hector dey bin always dey high risk.

Marie Clare say, "wen I go hospital with sharp pains, doctors tell me I don enta labour. I tok no and try to hide di pains from dem as I bin no want am to come early".

"Dem tell me say di chance of survival bin dey very slim under 23 weeks. I look my watch and evri one minute to midnight and I bin say, in one minute I go don enta 23 weeks".

Hector enta di world one hour 14 minutes later.

Marie Clare and Angus dey focus on everi day dem get with dia son as dem no know how im condition go affect im life for future.

Di couble now don celebrate im first birthday.

Marie Clare say, "E bin dey born for 01:14 so we stand for im cot at dat exact time one year later and bin get one quiet moment to dey grateful say e dey here".

"Na di best year of my life".