Tabitha Higginson.jpg

 

Pictured: Kezia and Paddy Higginson with daughter Tabitha

A couple today praised doctors and nurses for saving their baby’s life after she stopped breathing following birth.

Kezia and Paddy Higginson, who live in Blackburn, were thrilled at the birth of their baby daughter Tabitha.

However, their elation soon turned to concern after Tabitha stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated around five times.

Tabitha is now four-months-old and doing really well and her parents say to look at her, you would never know the dramatic start she had to life.

They have spoken of their gratitude to the staff at Burnley Teaching Hospital who speedily dealt with the emergency in a calm manner and kept them reassured.

Kezia, 28, explained: “During my pregnancy, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes which came out of the blue.

“I managed to control it by diet for five weeks and then I was put on insulin for the rest of the pregnancy.

“I had regular growth scans and at 36 weeks, Tabitha’s weight was not increasing so they had to induce her.”

After being induced, Kezia gave birth rapidly and doctors needed to get Tabitha out quickly as she was in distress and her heartbeat was slowing down.

Medics used ventouse, which is a vacuum device to aid delivery, to deliver Tabitha and she was born weighing 6lbs 7oz on June 20.

Paddy, a music teacher working at Blackburn and Darwen Music Service and a part-time musician who plays in a band, said: “Tabitha was wrapped in her umbilical cord. She cried and they lay her on Kezia but then she stopped breathing.

“As soon as they put her on Kezia’s chest, you could tell by the faces of the medical team that something was not right, but they stayed calm and in control.

“It was a real shock when they said she wasn’t breathing and they took Tabitha to the back of the room to resuscitate her.

“There were around 12 people in the room and they were all working on Tabitha and trying to save her life.

“I was trying to distract Kezia as I didn’t want her to worry but it crossed my mind that we had gone through all this and we might lose Tabitha.

“The doctors were moving Tabitha about in different positions to resuscitate her and doing chest compressions.

“When I looked over, she looked completely lifeless and like a rag doll and it was very frightening.

“What was reassuring was hearing her cry when the doctors managed to bring her back, but she kept coming back and then going again. She went about five times.

“It is all a bit of a blur and felt like an out-of-body experience which wasn’t real.”

Kezia said: “I didn’t see as much as Paddy did and I did not think at any point we were going to lose Tabitha as the team kept coming over to reassure me.

“They did everything to put me at my ease and I had every faith and confidence in them.”

Doctors managed to stabilise Tabitha and took her into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the Lancashire Women and Newborn Centre at Burnley Teaching Hospital where they planned to ventilate her to help with her breathing.

But after being admitted to NICU, Tabitha began breathing for herself and was soon well enough to go home with her relieved parents.

Tabitha, who is named after the Beatrix Potter character, is now doing really well, has taken excellently to breastfeeding and Kezia and Paddy are enjoying life as a family.

Paddy said: “You hear so much about the NHS in politics and there are many people who say NHS staff deserve more pay and I completely agree.

“It is only when you are on the receiving end of care that you fully appreciate how hard they work.

“Everyone from the midwife, student midwife, doctor and consultant were fantastic.

“They saved Tabitha’s life and we want to thank them all for being so amazing.”

Kezia, a secondary school teacher, says: “Tabitha is perfect and really cute and we are just happy she is here.

“We feel very lucky and are very grateful to all the staff at the hospital who cared for her and us.

“They made us feel comfortable and explained things really well and despite our traumatic experience when Tabitha was born, our experience of birth was very positive.

“We put that down to the high standard of care we received and we are just glad Tabitha was born at East Lancashire Hospitals as it has a very good reputation.

“Tabitha is smiling and cooing and making noises and I am enjoying maternity leave with her.

“Looking at her, it is hard to believe the traumatic start she had to life.

“We have been telling everyone how good the staff are at Burnley and how they could not have their baby in a better place.”

Dr Naharmal Soni, consultant neonatologist at NICU, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Tabitha was an unexpected admission to NICU as she was not a premature baby.

“Her parents were totally unprepared as they thought they would have their baby and take her home.

“It was a quick delivery and the mum had pain medication and this had an effect on the baby’s breathing.

“We monitored her brain to make sure that had not had any effect and pleasingly, everything was normal.

“Sometimes, babies are born at full-term but require a brief admission to the neonatal unit and this can be worrying for parents as they are not mentally prepared for that.

“It is heartening that Tabitha was dealt with so quickly and had a happy outcome.”