Pregnancy lasts an average of 40 weeks (usually between 38 and 42 weeks). A ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ birth is when a baby is born before 37 weeks. So a baby born at 36 weeks and 6 days is officially ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ.
When Poppy Cooke was born she weighed just 1lb and her sᴋɪɴ was so Fʀᴀɢɪʟᴇ her parents weren’t even allowed to give her a cuddle.
Six years on, life is very different for the little girl who arrived 19 weeks early in November 2014 and spent 107 days in three ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟs before she could come home to parents Lucy and Matt.
Wᴇɪɢʜɪɴɢ just 1lb 3oz when she was born, having spent just 25 weeks in the womb, Poppy wore her dad’s wedding ring as a bracelet – but now her parents are delighted because she can slip it on her finger.Despite facing a ᴄʏsᴛ ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀ ʙʀᴀɪɴ, ᴀ ʜᴏʟᴇ ɪɴ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ, Fɪᴠᴇ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʀᴀɴsFᴜsɪᴏɴs, ʟᴜɴɢ ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴜᴍᴇʀᴏᴜs sᴇᴛʙᴀᴄᴋs, Poppy is now doing brilliantly. “Poppy was so tiny when we she was born, We could hardly touch her in case we ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ her sᴋɪɴ as it was paper ᴛʜɪɴ. Seeing my husband’s ring on her wrist was ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ. It showed just how little she was. Now she can put it on her finger and thumb. She’s just incredible and amazes me every day.’’ says mum Lucy.
Lucy, now 33, was taken into Worᴛʜɪɴg Hospital in West Sussex at 25 weeks pregnant when her high ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴘʀᴇssᴜʀᴇ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴏF, ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴇ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴘᴀɪɴs ɪɴ ʜᴇʀ sᴛᴏᴍᴀᴄʜ. She was ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴘʀᴇ-ᴇᴄʟᴀᴍᴘsɪᴀ – ᴀ ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀᴜsᴇs ʜɪɢʜ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴘʀᴇssᴜʀᴇ ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ – ᴀɴᴅ HELLP sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ – ᴀ ʀᴀʀᴇ ʟɪᴠᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴄʟᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ.‘I was told that my baby would be coming on the weekend, I had no idea it would happen so fast – we hadn’t even decided on a name as we’d only just found out the ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ.’’ Lucy says.
Lucy was taken to Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton, when she went in to labour as her local hospital was not equipped to look after such a ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ baby. On November 22, 2014, Lucy had an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ to deliver her little one and hardly saw her before she was whisked away to the NICU.
‘I didn’t get to see Poppy for 10 hours. She was all hooked up to loads of wires and so tiny. We didn’t even get to cuddle her until she was 10 days old as her sᴋɪɴ was too Fʀᴀɢɪʟᴇ. We couldn’t stroke her in case that ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ her sᴋɪɴ.’ Lucy saysPoppy was born with a ʜᴏʟᴇ ɪɴ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ sᴜFFᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴄʏsᴛ ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀ ʙʀᴀɪɴ at two weeks old. She was in hospital for three weeks before she was transferred to Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton so she could be closer to home. She had five ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʀᴀɴsFᴜsɪᴏɴs and was then taken to Worᴛʜɪɴg Hospital to gain strength before she could come home.
The degree of ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀɪᴛʏ is often described by gestational age as: extremely ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ – from 23-28 weeks. very ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ – 28-32 weeks. moderately ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ – 32-34 weeks. late preterm – 34-37 weeks. Gestational age.
Gestational age is the length of time your baby has been developing in your ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs. It’s calculated from the first day of your last period.Exact gestational age is important because the more ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ babies are, the less developed they’ll be. And this means that they’ll probably need more medical support for their ʟᴜɴɢs, ʜᴇᴀʀᴛs, ᴛᴜᴍᴍʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴏᴡᴇʟs, ᴛᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ control and feeding.
