My Story

I’m attempting to do what no one has attempted before... push an incubator on a specially adapted buggy for a 24 hour period solo, travelling from Poole hospital to Southampton hospital and back to Bournemouth, covering over 106km.

24 hours represents the number of weeks Percy was born at, and the route and distance represents the number of days he was early, and the journey Percy took in his early life. It’s the biggest challenge I have ever undertaken, but I can’t think of a more worthy cause and reason to do it.

I’d love it if you can follow my journey from training to completing the challenge on the Instagram page here. The goal is to raise funds, raise awareness and raise the profile of the incredible neonatal community that already exists.

It’s at this point when I come to write about our story and what motivated me to create this page, and do this crazy challenge that I find I’m caught between the abridged version of the story, or the longer-form version, which attempts to cover the realities of what really happened. A much longer read, but goes some way to portraying the real story.

So here goes. I hope you'll stay the course and see why donating to Ickle Pickles will raise vital funds for neonatal equipment supporting babies and families whose journey is still to come. We know first-hand how much of a difference this makes.

If you’d like to get involved as a corporate sponsor, or be included in the challenge in any way do reach out.

Percy and our families story:

The journey to having our second child had many twists and turns. My wife spent 3 nights in hospital at 18 weeks with severe bleeding. The healthcare professionals were bracing us that this would likely be a miscarriage . It was terrifying. Against the odds our baby stayed put, and 20 week scans confirmed all was fine.  

Fast forward to a family day out a few weeks later. My wife was 24 wks + 3 days and experienced bleeding again. The words “this feels different this time” will always live on in me. 

We made it to Poole hospital and quickly handed over our 2 year old to my wife's parents. In no time Rebecca was 8cm dilated, and we found ourselves in the labour ward. It felt like a huge boulder hurtling down a hill and we had no way of stopping it. 

A first round of steroids were administered which support babies lung development. Every hour that Rebecca stayed pregnant felt like another mini win. By this point the statistics of survival at this gestation had been made clear, and of those that survive, the chance they would have health challenges. It was bleak. But there was hope. 

That night Rebecca’s contractions worsened and birth seemed imminent. Magnesium sulfate was administered and these eased the contractions. 

Rebecca remained bed bound and discussions of moving us to Southampton which was a level 3 neonatal hospital was deemed too risky at this stage. 

Another night passed but this time contractions worsened again. It was 1 am in the morning and again drugs were administered. Somehow my wife's contractions subsided again. We’d dodged another near miss but we all realised the risk of moving to Southampton was worth it. 

The morning arrived and the ambulance was organised. Rebecca along with several paramedics were loaded on and I followed behind in the car.

We arrived in Southampton and later that evening the decision was made that a C-section was needed. In a room of 20~ healthcare staff our son Percy was born at 24+6 days at 860g. 

The following night and days were a whirlwind. Each update on Percy felt (and was) life or death. Blood tests, scans, desat summaries, the list was endless of possible challenges that might arise. 

By this point we had been away from our daughter for 8 days and whilst accommodation at Ronald McDonald was a phenomenal help, it became clear that we needed to start commuting from home to provide more normality for our daughter. The impossible balance began. 

We knew the first few weeks were the honeymoon period, and this became a reality when Percy deteriorated quickly. Neonatal staff arranged accommodation for us again at Ronald McDonald that night - it was clear things were very serious and we needed to be close by in case the worst happened.

The following few days were incomprehensible. Attempts to wean Percy of ventilation failed and he gradually deteriorated. Oscillating ventilation, Nitric, and oxygen levels at 100%, all whilst in a medically induced coma. The consultant confirmed there were no more interventions available. We had to wait and hope Percy would pull through.

Incredibly with the help of steroids, Percy did pull through and a few days before Christmas 2023, Percy became conscious again, and was taken off the ventilator and onto BiPaP. Seeing him wiggle his finger and show signs of life again was utterly incredible. The simplest but most profound experience of our life. The best Christmas present we could hope for. 

The staff on the ward did an incredible job and they made Christmas and New Year as special as it can be. We tried to make Christmas as normal as possible for our daughter too. The impossible balance continued. 

You often hear the journey is like a rollercoaster, for us it felt more like snakes or ladders. Percy would make great progress over days or weeks, only for a bad day to take him right back to where he was several weeks before.

Repatriation to Poole took place shortly after New Year with SONeT providing the vital transport., It all happened so quickly. It was great to be closer to home but it took some adjusting to be in a different setting. 

There continued to be bumpy times during our stay at Poole. Even close to his due date he required a serious medical intervention to resuscitate him after a severe desat. It felt like this would never end. But slowly but surely, he started to improve and decrease his breathing support. 

The team at Poole NICU were incredible. Celebrating milestones throughout which helped so much. They became like family after our 100+ day stay.

10+ blood transfusions, ROP surgeries, MRIs, ultrasounds, all became part of weekly life. The dodging of potential complications that Percy might encounter felt never ending and each time a good result came back we breathed a sigh of relief. 

After 140 days in NICU it was time to go home. Oxygen fitted at home as a precaution, and having now been home for just over a year has helped us stay out of hospital on several occasions. 

Percy is doing great, he’s at nursery, walking and generally being a cheeky toddler. We know there is still a journey ahead to navigate but we are in awe at what he has endured and how he has overcome the challenges he has faced so far.

This challenge is specifically about saying thank you to Southampton Neonatal unit and SONeT transport who both supported Percy at his time in need. Forever grateful.