Brave Mum's Nightmare - A Sick Baby And A Heart Op!

Life took a shockingturn while visiting her premature daughter

- Fleur Guthrie

As little Ruby Turner sleeps contentedly in a white bassinet, wearing tiny mittens to stop her pulling at her gastric nasal tube, she’s blissfully unaware of what it’s taken to get her home.

But the dozing cherub – born prematurely on May 6 at just 26 weeks and weighing little more than a pound of butter – isn’t the only one in the family who’s had a remarkable recovery after a harrowing fight for survival.

Her mum Kate Meldrum, 29, suffered a ruptured heart valve while visiting her two-week-old daughter in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) at Auckland City Hospital. Rushed into emergency open-heart surgery, the young mum “died for five minutes” on the operating table before she was resuscitated and put on life support.

Kate’s fiancé, new dad Joe Turner, 29, was left in grave fear of losing them both and he didn’t know if the lack of oxygen to his critically ill partner’s brain would prove life-changing.

Thankfully, this is a story with a happy ending.

When we visit, the battle-weary young couple are remarkably upbeat, finally enjoying their first week together as a family at home after four months in hospital.

“It’s like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders and we can relax a bit,” smiles Kate, who has had to learn to walk and talk again.

“We’re simply taking things day by day. I’m trying not to look too far ahead because everything is unpredictable now and I just want to enjoy the moment.”