A miracle 1lb baby born 14 weeks premature after her mum was put into an induced coma with Covid has defied all the odds.
New East Kilbride mum, Stephanie Curran, is the picture of happiness holding little Millie, her precious bundle of joy, despite the unimaginable trauma they have both endured.
Fearing she would never wake up to meet her beloved baby girl, the 28-year-old Village mum believes she contracted the deadly virus from her cab driver-partner and revealed that passengers have been “secretly” taking taxis to coronavirus test centres.
Stephanie wants her incredible story of bravery and survival to send a message to anyone thinking of taking public transport to get tested.
Stephanie was just 26 weeks pregnant when she was rushed to the hospital on the final day of her isolation.
After suffering from headaches and a temperature, Stephanie’s condition deteriorated rapidly and she found herself unable to walk and was struggling to breathe.
She was rushed to Hairmyres Hospital and quickly transferred to the intensive care unit at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where her situation worsened.
She was told Covid had destroyed her lungs and that the baby would have to be delivered immediately, Stephanie was put into an induced coma she feared she would never wake up from.
“I was terrified”, she recalled. “I couldn’t sleep on the last day of my isolation and kept panicking because I felt so bad.
“I was struggling to breathe and couldn’t even walk to the toilet. I was told by NHS24 I just had to ride out Covid in isolation but the doctor checked me out and sent me for an ambulance. I needed oxygen there and then.
“I waited so long for the ambulance to come, my partner ended up having to take me, they said I could be waiting for up to an hour.
“I was so naive thinking I was going to get better, I never thought it would have ended up like this. After being X-rayed the doctors told me Covid had destroyed my lungs and I went to intensive care.
“I was told they might have to deliver the baby but I didn’t think she would actually have to come out.”
That night Stephanie was put into an induced coma and her baby was delivered by cesarean section.
Millie prematurely entered the world at 1.44 pm on Friday, October 15, weighing an astonishing 1lb and 15oz, and fitting into the palm of a hand.
However, despite coming out of the coma the next morning, due to Covid restrictions Stephanie didn’t lay eyes on her tiny bundle for four excruciatingly long days.
Stephanie added: “In a hospital setting you have to isolate for 15 days after having Covid, so it was four days before I got to see Millie. That was really tough but her dad got in to see her so I was glad she didn’t come into the world and not see one of us first.
“It was such a surreal and scary time. I didn’t even know if I was going to wake up, I nearly died. I still can’t get my head around the fact that she’s here and I’m a mum.”
Millie tested negative for Covid at birth and, aside from a drop in her heart rate, which the family was reassured is normal in premature babies, she is being fed through a tube in her nose and is being given oxygen support in neonatal intensive care.
It is hoped the little fighter, now weighing in at 2lbs and 11oz at one-month-old, will be allowed home around her actual due date of January 15, 2022.
Her brave mum is also doing well at home, with follow-up scans on her liver and lungs scheduled in the coming weeks.
Stephanie now wants to send a clear message to anyone thinking of taking public transport to a Covid test centre, which she claims she sees happen far too often in her job.
“You wouldn’t get into your own parents’ car for fear of infecting them”, said Stephanie. “Why do it in a stranger’s? This happened to me because of people’s stupidity and selfishness, covering up where they were going until it was too late.
“I hope by sharing my story I can stop anyone else from going through what I have.”
A gofundme page has been set up by a friend to help support the family in their time of need. Visit https://gofund.me/713137f7.