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Headlines 7 A isling Moody’s journey into motherhood took an unexpected turn when, during her 20-week scan, she discovered a high risk of premature labour. “I was sent home with medication, hanging onto hope that I would get to 23 weeks for viability or 28 weeks to be out of the danger zone of extreme prematurity.” Aisling only made it to 23 weeks and five days before her waters broke, catapulting her and her partner into the unknown territory of premature birth. A baby born as early as Aisling’s is on the threshold of viability, with a high risk of developing neurological and other lifelong difficulties. Their precious baby girl Remi was born a few days later at 24 weeks and three days, weighing only 770 grams. She was whisked away to the Wellington Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to fight for her life. Aisling says the treatments developed for premature babies like Remi are not just scientific breakthroughs, they are lifelines. During her 109-day stay in NICU, Remi had over 160 blood tests, 11 chest x-rays, four head scans, three heart scans, a kidney scan, and nine eye exams. She had five blood transfusions and a few courses of antibiotics for suspected infections. Although she encountered a small brain bleed early on, it resolved quickly. Remi then faced significant challenges with her lungs, kidneys and growth. “Spending nearly four months visiting Remi in NICU was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through,” says Aisling. “It’s difficult to articulate the mental and emotional challenges that come with having such a vulnerable baby, and having to leave and go home at the end of every day. COVID restrictions at the time made things even harder – only one parent was allowed to visit at a time so we weren’t able to support each other for the first month. “The NICU staff are incredible, and we are eternally grateful for everything they did for Remi and us. The doctors inspired such trust and confidence that we never doubted she was getting the best care possible, and the nurses made the journey bearable,” she says. Since then, Remi has been monitored closely for her development. She was flagged as borderline for developing mild cerebral palsy. “But in the last six months or so her development has really come along and she’s hitting all her milestones with no developmental delays, which is incredible,” says Aisling. Now, at one-and-a-half years old, Remi is a happy, healthy, boisterous toddler. Her only challenges are her lungs, which are more vulnerable to bugs than most. Her neurodevelopment is regularly monitored. “She is full of life, full of cheek, and brings us so much joy. We are so grateful that she is here with us,” says Aisling. Unfortunately, for many premature babies the outcome is not as positive as it was for Remi. There is still a lot of research currently underway to develop further interventions to protect the developing brain. Aisling Moody shares her story of an extremely premature birth. Only a generation ago her baby would have had a slim chance of survival. “The doctors inspired such trust and confidence that we never doubted she was getting the best care possible, and the nurses made the journey bearable.” Aisling Moody