Bedtime with a toddler and a baby is always going to be hectic, but for our family, it’s also a matter of life or death. After getting my boys into their pyjamas and reading them a story, I usually have to battle to get Max, three, settled before going into his baby brother Casper’s room to get him down for the night.
The doorbell rings as I try to soothe him, as it has done every night since we brought Casper home from the hospital. The nurse who’s arrived will watch him closely all night, but first we have to strap a breathing mask to his face and an alarmed oxygen monitor to his tiny foot.
Without this help, falling asleep could kill my baby. With his ultra-rare condition, Casper’s little body forgets to breathe and so he’s kept alive by a ventilator.
My pregnancy and Casper’s birth had been stress-free. “We’ll certainly have our hands full with two children under two,” I told my partner James, 33. If only a normal, chaotic family life was all we had to worry about.
Looking at our newborn son tucked up beside my hospital bed, we expected to take him home next morning. In reality, it would be almost 10 months before that day came. As we prepared to leave, nurses noticed Casper was a little cold as they did their routine checks. Then one of them said suddenly, “He doesn’t look right,” and we could see he wasn’t breathing the way he should and was floppy. She quickly took him to get checked but, reassured by the staff, we weren't overly worried.
Within five minutes, all that changed. Casper had been intubated and they believed he was in respiratory distress-in fact, he wasn't breathing at all. James and I were stunned, trying to process this information.
Esta historia es de la edición March 27, 2023 de New UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición March 27, 2023 de New UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
A STICKY SITUATION
Actors Chris Diamantopoulos and Guillaume Cyr bond with Margo Martindale and get beaten up by Jamie Lee Curtis in a riotous new comedy drama series
THIS IS CHRISTMAS ACTUALLY
Love Actually writer and director Richard Curtis gifts the world a new festive film this year
LEARN HOW TO PLEASE YOURSELF
The festive season can be an incredibly stressful time, particularly for peoplepleasers who struggle to put their own needs first
Caught on dashcam injecting her ex with fatal dose of 'poison"
Amanda Hovanec enlisted her lover and her mother in her cold-blooded plot
'I looked better getting married at 53 than I did at 23!'
Wellbeing coach Sarah-Jane Clark, from Swindon, shares how she achieved her dream of wearing a size 10 wedding dress after losing 12st
'I am so looking forward to Christmas'
Helen Flanagan shares her plans for the holidays with her new boyfriend Robbie Talbot and her kids
I'm turning the anger into positive energy
His best friend's death has made Gok Wan rethink life
‘I'm careful with who I allow in my inner circle
Actress and presenter Kéllé Bryan on managing fame and fronting a new fashion initiative
'There were rats..it is a real jungle
Marvin Humes on his I'm A Celebrity experience, backing his buddies and the importance of kindness
'It's not going to be sexy Maura on I'm A Celeb'
Model Caprice Bourret tells new about her festive traditions and starring in and producing a Christmas film