17 October 2023 , 15:32
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Last Wednesday was a huge milestone for a mum who finally brought her tiny son home from hospital, a day she never thought she would see.
It was an emotional time for Emma Harris who spent months watching on as baby David battled to survive all the odds. He was born three months early on June 23 and weighed just over 1lb 6oz - less than a bag of sugar. Since then, he has been in intensive care at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, where he amazed doctors with his progress. Now weighing 5lb 14oz, David was allowed to come home for the first time with his mum, dad Alec Stocks, and big sister Ellie Harris. Their first night together as a family was a "surreal" moment for Emma.
Baby David has amazed doctors at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle (Emma Harris)She said: "I couldn't wait, Alec said, 'Are you going to cry when he gets to come out of hospital, but I said, 'I'm not because I am so excited. I was just so happy. I cried a little bit that night when the realisation hit that we finally managed to get him home. There were many times throughout the journey when we thought we were never going to get to that point."
The family was told that there was a chance David could go home four days before he was given the all-clear by doctors. He was sent home with a small amount of oxygen support and no longer has his feeding tube. Now, community nurses are visiting David twice a week at home and he will receive regular hospital check-ups until he is two years old to monitor his development. Emma praised the "amazing" hospital staff at both the RVI and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead and said that she was so grateful for the support from Tiny Lives who have provided counselling.
Emma said: "I'm finding it great being at home with him, he is so chilled. He just wakes for his feeds and is really relaxed. Today (October 16) would have been his due date. He is 40 weeks and is exactly where he should be. For him to be nearly 6lb is absolutely amazing. The whole family is over the moon."
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
A fundraiser has been set up by Emma's sister, Vicky Oliver, to ease some of the financial pressure on the family after Emma was not eligible to receive early maternity pay due to only starting a new job in March.
To donate click here.