‘Hailey is very strong, which helps me be strong too’: Mum of premature baby born the same weight as a jar of MARMITE documents her tiny daughter’s fight for life on Instagram
Little Hailey was born three months early weighing just over 1lb
A MUM whose baby was born THREE MONTHs early, weighing little more than a jar of MARMITE, is documenting the tiny infant's fight for life via Instagram.
Stephanie Banman gave birth at just 27 weeks and tiny Hailey – who weighed juts 1lb 2oz – was given little chance of survival.
But she defied the odds – and is now giving hope to other parents of premature babies via the social media site.
Stephanie said: "Hailey is very strong, which helps me be strong too.
"She's becoming quite the little diva and handles all her tests and procedures very well.
"At first, I documented her progress online to keep family and friends updated, as we aren't allowed many visitors. Then I realised a lot of parents are going through similar experiences and I felt this was a way to give them hope."
Stephanie, a housekeeper from British Columbia, Canada, has suffered two devastating miscarriages in the past and was monitored closely throughout her pregnancy.
At her 18 weeks scan, however, doctors discovered her baby was about two weeks behind where she should have been, growth-wise.
Stephanie, 20, and her partner Tyler Lacey, 24, were sent to University of Alberta Hospital for a second opinion.
There, doctors diagnosed their unborn baby with Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) – the poor growth of a foetus inside the womb.
In Hailey's case, the condition is thought to have been caused by the lack of blood flow from the placenta which, in turn, robbed her of vital nutrients.
"I was told it was nothing I'd done wrong," said Stephanie. "I'd been eating healthily and taking all the vitamins I was told to, but there was nothing that could have prevented this.
"The placenta just wasn't doing its job delivering nutrients to my baby."
From there, Stephanie returned to hospital for weekly ultrasounds.
Heartbreakingly, after each one, doctors cautioned her that her daughter may have died by the next appointment.
Stephanie added: "Nobody wants to be told that their child might not survive.
"It was very hard to take, but I kind of knew that she would be okay because I felt her move a lot."
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Then in July, during a 27 week ultrasound, doctors noticed the fluid surrounding Stephanie's unborn child had dramatically reduced, and the blood flow had worsened.
She was admitted to Foothills Medical Centre, Calgary, and treated with steroids in a frantic bid to develop Hailey's lungs, giving her the best chance of survival.
Over the next few days, she stayed in the hospital taking regular steroids.
But, while the blood flow to Hailey improved, the fluid surrounding her kept draining away until eventually just a tiny pocket remained.
When the the baby's heart rate plummeted, doctors decided to operate.
On July 16, Stephanie Hailey was born through a Caesarean section.
She recalled: "Hailey came out crying and breathing, which nobody expected.
"It was really amazing seeing her for the first time. I didn't think someone so small and fragile would be able to live outside the womb."
Weighing just 1lb 2oz (524g), Hailey was immediately taken to neonatal intensive care, where she remains to this day.
She has undergone a lengthy string of treatments, including being incubated when her right lung collapsed and pumped full of steroids to aid her growth.
Overall, she is doing well, steadily gaining weight and now able to breathe independently.
Doctors estimate she will be able to come home around mid October – which would have been her due date, had she been carried to full term.
"It could be sooner or later, it just depends on how everything goes," said Stephanie.
"In neonatal intensive care, every day is a new day and nothing is guaranteed.
"But Hailey is very feisty. She is a miracle."
