A baby girl proved she was a born Fɪɢʜᴛᴇʀ when she let out three yelps and lifted her arm – even though she was delivered three months ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ.
Isla Wilson had sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ɢʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ in her mother’s womb 15 weeks early, ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴇᴅ just 1lb 12oz and measured 11 inches from head to toe. She was so underdeveloped she spent her first five months Fɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ Fᴏʀ ʟɪFᴇ ɪɴ ᴀɴ ɪɴᴄᴜʙᴀᴛᴏʀ. Doctors had to ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇsᴛᴀʀᴛ Isʟᴀ’s ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ when she was four days old.
She also sᴜFFᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴀ ʙʟᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ ʙʀᴀɪɴ, ᴡᴀs ᴏɴ ᴀ ᴠᴇɴᴛɪʟᴀᴛᴏʀ Fᴏʀ ᴀʟᴍᴏsᴛ ᴀ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʀᴀɴsFᴜsɪᴏɴs. But despite being one of the smallest babies to be born in Scotland, her incredible actions reassured her worried parents, Julie and Steven, that their daughter was ᴅᴇᴛᴇʀᴍɪɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ.Now aged 19 months, and ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴏᴅᴅs, Isla, is like any other happy-go-lucky toddler, who loves being on her feet. She still needs ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ ᴀs ʜᴇʀ ʟᴜɴɢs ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇ to develop, but doctors are hopeful she will be off all ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀɪᴅs by this summer.
Mrs Wilson, 32, from Newtonhill, Aberdeenshire, said: ‘We just feel so lucky still to have her. In the beginning we couldn’t get past the next hour, then it was the next week and the next month. But as time went on and she got bigger we got more confident that she was going to sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ. We were too scared to think about it because we didn’t want to get our hopes up, in case something happened. Now her laugh is the best thing in the world. She’s such a lovely, happy wee thing.’
Mrs Wilson, an occupational therapist, had gone to work as normal the day Isla was born. She had a growth scan that afternoon and was expecting to return to work. But doctors discovered Isla had sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ɢʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ just 25 weeks into her mother’s pregnancy ᴅᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ʀᴀʀᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀs ᴇssᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟʟʏ sᴛᴀʀᴠɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ. So Isla was delivered by ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ that evening 11 weeks early.
Mrs Wilson said: ‘It was such a sʜᴏᴄᴋ. Isla’s ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴅʀᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴇ sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴍᴏᴠɪɴɢ. They just needed to get her out of me. It was ᴛᴇʀʀɪFʏɪɴɢ because we had no ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ sɪᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. But the first time we got to see her about five hours after she was born, the nurse said, ‘you’ve got a Fᴇɪsᴛʏ one there‘.
To recognise Isla’s amazing courage and lust for life, she recently received a Build-A-Bear Workshop Champion Children Award at the Tommy’s Lets Get Friendly Baby Awards in London. But Mrs Wilson said when she did eventually get to hug Isla, it was the “best cuddle ever”.‘She was inside my top and she just settled down and fell asleep. I just sat there with a big grin on my face.’
When she was born her head was smaller than the palm of her mother’s hand and from head to toe she measured only the length of a classroom ruler.Doctors warned Mr and Mrs Wilson that because she needed steroids at such a young age and her ʙʀᴀɪɴ had been sᴛᴀʀᴠᴇᴅ ᴏF ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ ᴀs ᴀ ʀᴇsᴜʟᴛ ᴏF ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏFF ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇɴᴛɪʟᴀᴛᴏʀ, there was a chance it would ᴀFFᴇᴄᴛ her development.But ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴏᴅᴅs, Isla is now learning to walk, talk and explore like any inquisitive toddler.‘You can see her developing, which is great,’ said Mrs Wilson.She is really bright. As a first child she is always going to be special, but even more so now. I can’t praise the neonatal staff enough. They worked so hard and if it wasn’t for their care and expertise Isla wouldn’t be here today.
