HOWICK – Ivy Lorraine spent 52 days in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) watching her vulnerable and premature son struggle to survive.
After the experience, Lorraine wanted to give back to other families going through a similar situation – and thanks to many Wellington County residents, she was able to do just that.
Her story started in February, when her water broke about 11 weeks shy of a full-term pregnancy.
“My baby (Liam) was born at 29 weeks and five days gestation,” Lorraine told the Advertiser.
As she now lives in Gorrie, about 15 minutes outside of Minto, her plan was to give birth at Listowel Memorial Hospital.
This plan was quickly changed as she was immediately rushed by ambulance to the closest level three NICU around: London Health Sciences Centre.
“The week leading up to when he was born was the scariest,” Lorraine said.
She noted London hospital staff were “very sweet with explaining what was going on.”
Lorraine was told what to expect with a premature baby, including “a lot of tubes, wires, he would be very small and that we would have a very lengthy stay.”
During the 27 days in London, Lorraine had access to accommodations from the Ronald McDonald House Charities Southwestern Ontario.
Liam and Ronald McDonald House volunteer Kevin Dartch, who welcomed Lorraine into her accommodations during a difficult time. Submitted photo
“I had to use a lot of resources while I was there,” she said referring to her temporary stay.
Liam slowly got stronger and was transferred to Stratford General Hospital “which is a level two NICU,” Lorraine said.
Level two NICUs provide care for moderately ill infants, whereas level three provides the highest level of intensive care.
Once Lorraine could reflect on her experience in the comfort of her own home, she began creating care bags for families and their premature babies with the help of her friend.
“I was just so thankful for the care they (medical staff) gave both me and my baby,” she said.
Lorraine specifically focused on donating during Christmas time “because we were there in February but I couldn’t imagine being there during the holidays,” she explained.
She reached out to her community and the response was overwhelming.
“The bags that I bought originally had to be scrapped for much larger bags,” Lorraine said.
She noted Wellington County residents donated the majority of items, which included:
- cash;
- handmade blankets;
- knitted hats;
- bibs, diapers, onesies;
- self care items;
- healthy snacks; and
- gift cards and more.
Lorraine and her friend ended up with 12 giant bags; 10 filled with premature baby essentials and two with newborn essentials. Each bag contained approximately 30 items.
All 12 care bags were donated to the London hospital after a month of gathering donations. Additional donations went to the Ronald McDonald House.
“I would like to do this yearly,” Lorraine said. “I want to give myself some more time to try and get more stuff together.”
Liam is now 10 months old and thriving.
“I’m very lucky because I know with pre-term babies who are born as early as him they can sometimes have some health issues,” she said.
Lorraine offered some advice for parents going through a similar situation: “Give yourself grace and take the days in softness rather than fear.”
She noted often being alone in the hospital as weather conditions kept her husband away.
“There’s a lot of guilt that can happen and it’s okay to not be okay,” Lorraine added.
One resource for families is the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation – “a great organization for premature families,” Lorraine said.
The foundation can be found at cpbf-fbpc.org.
