Stories from the NICU
Jack’s Story
Jack’s story told by his mum Alison
“When I was in labour, the midwives noticed an irregular heartbeat and rushed me down for an emergency section. Jack had inhaled meconium so when he took his first breath, he couldn’t breathe. The medical staff were fast and started to work on him to unblock his lungs but it wasn’t working. We really thought we had lost him.
Thankfully, he was a perfect candidate for ECMO treatment in Sweden. He would need an ECMO machine to pump him with oxygenated blood to help him breathe. While they cleaned out the meconium from his lungs, the doctor called in a medical team from Sweden who were straight on an air ambulance plane. The team from Sweden hooked up our little boy to the machine within 10 hours.
I couldn’t fly to Sweden as I had surgery, so my partner flew over to be with him. My mind was at rest to know Jack had his dad by his side while he was fighting for his life.
Within a week, the treatment had started to show great results and Jack was able to fly home. He still wasn’t in the clear but at least I could finally get to hold my little bean 
It only took 2 weeks to wean him off the oxygen and feeding tube but it felt like a lifetime. My favourite memory was when I arrived into the NICU and the breathing tube was removed!
The day we brought him home was the best day of my life! I can’t put into words how happy we were. Thanks to the fast action of the neonatal team, we now can tell our little boy how he was travelling the world when he was less than 24 hours old.
I can’t believe Jack is a one-year-old now. How the year has flown by! He is thriving and started walking at 10 months!”
To read Jack’s full story, visit www.nmhfoundation.ie
