Teddy's story
Baby Teddy Taylor almost crashed his parents’ wedding when he arrived on 24 June, the day before his mum and dad, Emma and Lee, were due to tie the knot.
He was born at 27 weeks and weighed just 770 grams.
Mum Emma said: “At 27 weeks and six days, I had a placenta abruption and by the evening I had to have an emergency section under general anaesthetic.
“Having a premature baby is scary but also rewarding because you get to see your baby grow in the real world and not in your tummy. It was amazing to see him develop – I could see everything grow.
“Teddy spent the first 16 weeks of his life in hospital, with 7 weeks on Rotherham Hospital’s Neonatal Unit, and as with any neonatal journey, there are lots of ups and downs. He suffered viruses, which al premature babies do. We had some rocky times and spent much longer on the ward than we expected but it wouldn’t have made our journey if we hadn’t had those bumps in the road.
“Staff made sure we felt like parents, were involved in all his care and shared all his milestones. We could feed and change him and bring him home comforts. We felt like a family, which was so important because we didn’t get the experience of taking him home and the typical newborn things we’d dreamed of. We were all rooting for him.
“Unless you’ve had a premature baby experience, I don’t think people understand the impact it has on your life. It was life-changing for us but the caring and compassionate support we got from the ward staff made it so much easier."
