I finally got to enjoy a proper cuddle with my baby who was born at 25 weeks in Blackpool
A mum has finally been able to enjoy her first cuddle with her tiny daughter who arrived at just 25 weeks while she was in Blackpool.
Jenna Lauder, 36, said at first she was scared to hold Hope, who was born 15 weeks premature and weighed just 2.1lbs.
However once she had, she said she wished she could hold her forever.
Hope, now three weeks old, arrived to her parents Jenna and Gary Gibson, 37, 15 weeks early while they were on holiday in Blackpool.
They face months of waiting at her hospital bedside while she grows strong enough to travel back to their home in Stirling, Scotland.
Hope is currently on a ventilator to help her breathe, is suffering from a stage four bilateral bleed on her brain and has sadly had a stroke.
Mum Jenna said: "Holding hope for her first cuddle, it was scary because of all the intensive care equipment and how small Hope was.
"But as soon as she was on my chest it was the best feeling in the world and I wished that I could hold her forever."
Jenna’s pregnancy was smooth up until Hope’s birth, except she suffered from some bleeding and cramps a week prior to Hope’s arrival.
She had called maternity triage at Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert and was told to monitor the bleeding and let them know if it became any worse.
Jenna and fiancée Gary, who have another child called Vinnie, two, went ahead with their holiday to Blackpool on June 29.
They were delighted with their second pregnancy as both their children are IVF babies.
However, just three days into their break, Jenna suddenly went into labour and Hope Roslyn Tracey Lauder was born at 6pm on July 2.
The family now thinks the bleeding was the beginning stages of labour.
Jenna, a stay-at-home mum, said: "I was able to briefly hold my little girl before she was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
"Later that night she was moved to the NICU at Royal Preston Hospital where she has been ever since.
"She has been receiving special support for various needs since she was born including a ventilator for breathing.
"Hope is doing as well as can be expected, given her start in life."
When the tiny tot weighed just 2.1lbs, a brain scan showed a stage two bleed on her brain which later progressed to stage four - the most severe.
On Friday (July 19), the family were told the devastating news that Hope had also suffered a stroke.
Jenna said: "It is too soon to say what the impact this may have on Hope.
"She has a number of other difficulties, the type which face many premature babies, but she is responding well to treatment.
"Gary and I are doing okay and are trying to take each day as it comes. We know there is a long road ahead and we are concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other."
The family hope three-week-old Hope can be moved via a fixed wing aircraft from Blackpool to the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow, once a bed becomes available.
In the meantime, they have pledged to stay by her bedside in Preston until she is able to return to Scotland.
They have set up a GoFundMe to ease their financial burden as Gary is having to take time off as an owner of a construction company.
It has so far exceeded their target of £5k with more than £6k raised.
The family added: "We are all really overwhelmed by the level of love and support we have received from friends and family, including through the GoFundMe page which has far surpassed anything we could have hoped for.
"It means so much to all of us, particularly given how difficult this year has been and we want to convey our sincerest thanks to everyone that has donated."
You can visit the GoFundMe page at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/n3nh62-help-for-baby-hope