20 Miles 20KG EVERYDAY for 10 Days -Colchester ICU

From 9/12/2022-19/12/2022, I will be covering 20 miles a day on foot, carrying 20kg's on the back, each day for 10 days. Each day will represent a day that Ada spent in Colchester Neonatal Unit. I will be raising money for Colchester Neonatal Unit.

Please read our story below to understand.

On 11/02/2022 at 14:30, myself and Megan welcomed our beautiful daughter Ada Amelia Simpson into the world at only 34 weeks. This was meant to be a time of smiles, joy and endless cuddles but for Megan and I was actually a time full of fear, panic and worry.

Ada arrived via an emergency C section, 6 weeks premature. Upon her arrival she was admitted to Colchester Neonatal Unit for life saving treatment. At this time, we were unable to have any contact with Ada, leaving us in awe around what she looked like. Ada spent a total of 10 nights in the neonatal unit, despite Megan and I being discharged home 3 days after her birth, leaving with an empty car seat. Due to a lack of resources and finances within the unit, there was not any available accommodation for us to stay on the ward with Ada throughout her stay, meaning we had to continuously say goodbye to her, trusting the team of professionals with the most precious thing we had.

Ada was initially in the Intensive Care Unit, where she was provided with the most advanced critical care for low blood sugars, possible sepsis and respiratory support. This involved an umbilical venous catheter being placed into her cardiovascular system in order to provide her with medication, nutrition and fluids. She was also given an NG feeding tube due to being unable to feed independently. Upon day 3, Megan and I were finally allowed to hold Ada for the first time, meaning we could have skin to skin contact and some time to bond with her. Finally being able to take her out of the incubator for the first time, we realised her resemblance to a real life doll. Despite cherishing every moment of this, we were constantly faced with wires, monitoring, machines, doctors and nurses and filled with fear and anxiety.

After a few days, Ada was then transferred to the High Dependency Unit within NICU, where her journey in her incubator continued. Every day would involve visiting Ada morning and night, putting full trust into the nurses and doctors that were caring for her. Each day we would hope to hear the news that she was ready for discharge, however one step forward meant two steps back. Ada would make progress with her breathing, requiring less ventilation each day but then would drop too much in birth weight or would not cope with any nutrients through her NG tube, or need a prolonged period of time under the UV lamp for jaundice.

As the days went by, Ada's central umbilical line was finally removed, leaving just cannulas and an NG tube. Despite still battling for Ada to take just 2oz of milk through her NG tube, we managed to teach her to suck from a bottle independently. The day finally arrived when we were told we could dress our baby for the first time. As we rushed back with our favourite newborn babygrow, we quickly realised that she was going to be in tiny baby clothes for some time.

As the days dragged and our emotions continued, we eventually found ourselves in the Low Dependency Unit, whereby Ada was no longer in an incubator, for the first time since birth, we were able to cuddle our daughter without consent and could fuss over her bedside, rather than the two hand holes that we had become quite familiar with in her incubator. On day 10, we arrived at the hospital to finally see our newborn who was dressed and free from wires and machines. Her NG tube and teddy bear plaster had been removed from her face. What would sound very unusual to other new parents, we finally saw her delicate features for the first time. After another sleepless night, we were told "go and get the car seat, she's coming home".

Without the knowledge, skills, care and love within the NICU at Colchester Hospital, we may not have been so fortunate. Ada is now 9 months and full of energy.

In order to recognise our appreciation for the amazing staff and facilities within the unit, I will be personally thanking the staff and presenting them with any funds that are raised myself.