The days leading up to the birth of your first baby are exciting for any new parents. But for Leana and Kyle Walter, that excitement was tinged with worry over the fact their baby would require surgery within days of being born.
Leana was told at her 12-week scan that her unborn baby girl was suffering from a condition known as gastroschisis, which cause the intestines to protrude through a hole in the umbilical cord.
The couple, from Western Australia, were referred to the high risk pregnancy unit at King Edward Memorial Hospital. They also had meetings with the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children Neonatal Team to discuss their daughter's condition, and learn about how it would be treated once she was born.
"We tried to stay as calm we could, but it obviously made the pregnancy more stressful as we worried about how our baby would go once she was born,'' Leana remembers. "All we could do was arm ourselves with as much information as possible."
Little Evelyn arrived on January 21 last year after Leana's labour was induced due to fears of pre-eclampsia. She then underwent her first surgery at just five days old.
"They had to attach a plastic bag that held all her bowel and organs and then they slowly put everything back in. They couldn't put everything in her straight away as it would be too much for her little body," Leana explains. "Waiting for her to come out of that first surgery was very stressful for us. We just sat and waited to be told the surgery had gone well and she was okay."
Fortunately the surgery went well. Baby Evelyn was transferred to the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where she then spent the first two months of her life.
During her time in the NICU Evelyn was placed in a piece of equipment known as a Giraffe Warmer. The warmer kept her temperature stable and allowed for medical staff to closely observe, weigh and even x-ray Evelyn without disturbing her.
The Giraffe Warmer at PMH was donated to the hospital by the Huggies Brand as part of its Huggies Hugs for Healing initiative. Since 2013 the initiative has helped fund high priority pieces of medical equipment, specifically targeted to sick babies and toddlers, which is used in the nation's hospitals. Each Giraffe Warmer costs $28,000, and Huggies is matching every dollar donated up to a total amount of $100,000.
The Hugs for Healing campaign is based around research that shows that hugs have a healing effect. Hugging releases serotonin and dopamine, the hormones that make us feel good; in addition, hugs increase oxytocin, which triggers a bonding response that makes sick children feel calm and less anxious.
Leana says the special Giraffe Warmer equipment made it much easier for little Evelyn to be kept comfortable while doctors and nurses cared for her.
"It meant her body could just recover without being disturbed,'' Leana says. "Anything to minimise the trauma she had to go through was fantastic."
During the two months their daughter spent in hospital, Leana and Kyle took turns by their baby's bedside.
Leana remembers the first two months of her daughter's life as a stressful, tiring and frightening time, as Evelyn's condition deteriorated several times before improving. The thankful mum says the amazing support she and Kyle received from hospital staff is something that will never be forgotten.
"Kyle would go in to the hospital about 5 or 6am before he had to go to work, and then I would go and do a 10-hour stint during the day," Leana says. "While you have a baby in hospital you don't enjoy it and you hate being there. But afterwards you realise just how much the nurses look after the parents as well as the babies.”
Baby Evelyn underwent surgery again at seven weeks to stitch up her abdomen. She then spent one more week in hospital recovering before finally going home with her parents.
Now, Evelyn is a happy and healthy 17-month-old who is full of energy, just like any toddler. She is also about to become a big sister, with Leana and Kyle due to welcome their second daughter next month.
"She has a check up once a year and will need one more surgery when she’s about three, but she's doing really well," Leana says."She really loves babies at the moment, so she's very excited about becoming a sister."
Huggies Hugs for Healing provides essential support and care to help heal sick babies & toddlers in each of the Children's Hospitals, the national fundraising partnership of the five major children's hospital foundations around Australia.
In addition to the Giraffe Warmer in WA, other donated equipment includes a BabyTherm Infant Warming system in Queensland, and units in NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
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