mummiez & daddiez magazine March/April

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As he heard the ambulances tires screech he now had to come and comfort me, knowing we probably will never see our baby boy alive. It was then that I fell apart. I was hysterical. I kept screaming “I don’t want my baby to die. He can't die.” Daniel was by my side. I looked him in the eyes and cried. What if he died, what if he's dead. What will we do I'll never forget his face. He was white and just helpless to know what to do.....Broken. It felt like a lifetime, but finally 5 minutes later the call came through 20 minutes after Freddy was delivered. “He's breathing, he has colour.” The relief was more than incredibly overwhelming. I can’t even describe it in words. We were totally shell shocked. The pure horror of what just happened did not truly sink in until we were at the hospital hearing the consultant’s voice.....Back to reality. “We want to try something. It’s fairly new out of research and we will have to transfer Freddy right away to Oxford. He will receive the cooling technique” Here comes the technical part - What is the cooling Technique? An infant who does not have sufficient oxygen for any significant length of time at birth may develop cerebral palsy, vision impairments, hearing problems or learning disabilities. Traditionally very little could be done after a baby had suffered asphyxia, another term for oxygen deprivation. Doctors would simply “I touched his little hand. It was so cold.” wait and hope for the best, as there was no known treatment. Over the past few years, though, doctors have realized the benefits of a new technique known as brain cooling. (The cooling technique) With brain cooling, doctors are able to reduce the likelihood and severity of long-term impairments. To perform this technique, a doctor uses a simple blanket or body wraps that are chilled with tubes of cold water. This cold blanket reduces the baby's core temperature from 98 degrees to 91 degrees over a period of 72 hours, mild hypothermic state. Baby also has probes into the scalp to monitor brain waves and is often sedated and receives morphine to lower discomfort. By lowering the body's core temperature, the cooling blanket reduces the swelling around the brain and prevents the body from attempting reparative actions that might ultimately cause greater damage. It slows the organs and helps give a newborn the chance to heal and recover from the shock of their trauma. The cooling must begin within six hours of delivery to be affective. So Freddy was transferred to begin his 72 hour cooling treatment in Oxford. I looked upon Rows of incubators. There he was, underneath the wires, tubes, and beside the giant machines there he was, fighting. He looked so small. Every natural motherly instinct is tested. The incredible wave of protection I felt for him. I wanted to pick him up into the safety of my arms. Onto my warm skin I wanted to kiss his cheeks and nose and those never ending lashes. The longing was immense. Almost uncontrollable it made my chest hurt. The tears flowed. The hopeless, frustrated, heart wrenching feeling of the longing! I watched as strangers changed his nappy, pumped food into his mouth tube and studied graphs constantly printed from the big machine beside him. So many sounds are in the NICU all trying to overtake each other, they seem to get louder. I touched his little hand. It was so cold. He shivered and made little whimpers that broke my heart into a million pieces every time I heard them. A Newborn baby should be wrapped in blankets, snuggled with a cute bonnie hat, face all squished up and content. My baby was laid naked, just a nappy on and a cold water blanket. It felt unnatural for me. His mummy who had kept him warm, for 9 long months watching him so fragile on the edge of life itself. So, so cold. 3 days of the longing, of the cold. Daniel and I stood by him and held his precious hand. The support we received from family and friends was truly inspiring. This made us strong and we remained positive throughout Freddy's cooling. Finally on Christmas Eve 2011, after 72 hours kept cold our baby was being very slowly warmed. Everybody waited anxiously for the news. That day was full of so many different emotions. What ever happened we would be there for him. Love him unconditionally our everything! Then a miracle happened. Freddy was Healthy. No signs of any brain damage! “This never happens after such severe
asphyxia” they said. He is a miracle baby! His story was spreading like wildfire through the JR and back to the royal Berkshire hospital. Freddy the Christmas miracle baby!!!!! After he was warmed up we were able to dress him at last, warm and cosy. I can’t actually describe my full feelings when they finally put him in my arms that day. It was truly the most incredible moment of my entire life. Feeling his warmth and his tiny heart beat. PROUD! So proud of Freddy, me and Daniel and also so proud of all the people who helped save his life. Proud of every single person that had shown us support. I will never ever till the day I die forget that day. Our family created a bond that day. A bond that is so strong it can never be broken. Everything was positive from then on. We were able to cuddle him all day on Christmas day. They observed him closely and were so amazed and happy with his health that we were able to take him home on Boxing Day. To bring him home was so emotional. I spent hours staring at him ( I still do ) Such a perfect little boy. We returned to oxford when Freddy was 4 months old and he was given the all clear. They are still amazed how he recovered from such a traumatic beginning. He really was a little Christmas miracle. We will continue to work with the team to aid in the continued research into the cooling technique. Freddy will have checkups every 6 months at Southampton general. Freddy is a very happy, Healthy 13 month old. Full of a love for life, that shines through his amazing smile. He really is such a beautiful little life who brings joy to our hearts every day. He even started walking on Christmas eve, just 4 days after his 1st birthday. He inspired me to set up a Facebook page to raise awareness for this incredible treatment. Since August 2012 his page has expanded. We now have a website, twitter account and have grown into ‘The cool to save a life Group.’ We are a group who fundraise for hospital Level 3 NICU units to provide equipment specifically linked to the Newborn cooling technique. We also aim to raise awareness to people all over the world about this pioneering treatment. We provide a networking platform for cooling families to connect. We also offer emotional support to cooling families as parents who have been through it ourselves. We are currently raising funds to help provide S'ton NICU with a cerebral function monitor. We are constantly expanding and changing as we continue to grow. It has been amazing to create such a positive cause. We work hard every day to make a difference and to reach to those across the globe who are going through what we did just over 1 year ago. I will never forget what happened that night and it has left its mark, but doing this is helping our family heal and move forward. If you would like to learn more, follow Freddy’s journey or even support our fundraising project please visit www.cooltosavealife.com Nicky Symmonds
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mummiez & daddiez magazine March/April

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