Leeds mum welcomes baby boy ten weeks after her waters broke

A Leeds mum has welcomed her miracle baby boy - ten weeks after her waters broke.
Lauren Middleton with Archie HopperLauren Middleton with Archie Hopper
Lauren Middleton with Archie Hopper

Lauren Middleton, 24, stood up to go to the toilet while 26 weeks pregnant and felt a gush of water, before realising her waters had broken.

After being rushed to the LGI for an examination, it became clear the waters had broken around little Archie Hopper, who weighed just over 1lb at the time.

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As the neo-natal unit was shut in the LGI, Lauren was taken to Sheffield Jessops hospital in the early hours of the morning - with a packup of food and essentials by a 'fantastic nurse' from Leeds.

Liam Hopper with Archie HopperLiam Hopper with Archie Hopper
Liam Hopper with Archie Hopper

Lauren, from Tinshill, Leeds, said: "The embrace team came to collect me and they transported me down to Jessops at 3am.

"It took us 40 minutes to get there.

"While at Jessops they explained that they will try keep me pregnant until 34 weeks and then possibly induce me.

"The thought of being induced 8 weeks after the incident was amazing.

Archie HopperArchie Hopper
Archie Hopper
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"I was discharged from Jessops after 3 days and was returned home, .

"I had to attend day unit 2 times a week (Tuesday and Thursday) to check the baby and the check my infection levels.

"I also saw my consultant once every 2 weeks who scanned me and who let me know baby's progress."

As Lauren got to 34 weeks, she was still holding out strong and doctors decided to leave her until 37 weeks for a full term baby.

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Lauren, who also has a three-year-old daughter named Ruby, praised the work of the day unit team.

She added: "Every time I visited the day unit or maternity assessment, I was always greeted by smiley faces and a lot of compassion.

"Not once have I ever felt like I was a burden to them, they always made me feel so welcome and even kept Ruby entertained while I was admitted sometimes."

At 35 weeks, Lauren started contracting at home and was transferred to St James's hospital where a bed was made available.

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Lauren, who shared the birth with partner Liam Hopper, continued: "Midnight stuck and they took me to a delivery suite to put the hormone drip in.

"The contractions came thick and fast after that.

"The student midwife who was looking after me also looked after me in the LGI and she was fantastic she will make a brilliant fully qualified midwife."

At 9.08pm, Lauren gave birth to Archie Hopper, weighing 6lb 4oz.

She said: "He quickly started to make grunting noises so we didn't have very long with him until he went to neo-natal intensive care.

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"It has became apparent he was struggling with his oxygen and he is currently on a machine called CPAP, which helps his breathing be more controlled and helps his lungs fill up with more air.

"He's also tube fed as he's working very hard.

"He's just been diagnosed with pneumonia but they intensive care doctors and nurses are doing everything they can to help him."

Lauren said the miracle birth would have never been possible without the NHS.

She added: "I honestly never thought I'd need the NHS as much as I have.

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"They have been angels in disguise every single one of them and I cannot thank them enough.

"If it wasn't for them my little boy would have been much more unwell than he actually is, their quick thinking and decisions to hold off labour has inevitably saved his life.

"I cannot thank the NHS enough, Dr Simpson, Kelly (the midwife on the night of my SPROM), Lizzie, Katie and Rebecca the midwives who helped deliver him and all the other members of staff along the way.

"And of course the Neo natal unit for being the light in our dark times."

Lauren shared the news of the birth on social media, with thousands of members of the Leeds community congratulating her.

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