A mum who took her five-day-old sons home and found herself in “hell” days later as the boys were fighting for life in hospital has urged parents to always act on their instincts.
Twins Acer and Axel Ayre were born on Tuesday, November 30, and were taken home by mum Abby and dad Jason the following Friday.
The first time parents realised something was seriously wrong just 48 hours later when the boys appeared jaundiced and sleepy and rushed them to hospital.
And during a nightmare time waiting for a diagnosis from doctors they feared they would be going home alone as the boys fought for life.
Abby, 29, said: “We'd gone from the best feeling in the world welcoming our boys to being in hell.
“The consultant walked down the corridor, took a big breath and told us things weren't good at all. They couldn't get Acer's blood pressure up, they couldn't get lines into him because he was so tiny.
"They said we're trying out hardest and they were in touch with North East and Cumbria Transport and Retrieval team (NECTAR) who were coming from Newcastle.
"We thought at first we were going to Sheffield…we were told Acer was too poorly to go to Sheffield, that he wouldn't make it in the ambulance.
"The team from NECTAR took us to one side and said Acer is really not stable, that they were going to do their best and asked for our number in case the worst happened in the ambulance.
"My husband took a picture of him on the operating theatre. I asked 'what are you doing that for' and he told me he wasn't sure if we'd see him again.”
Medics eventually diagnosed the boys had viral meningitis and after a stay in hospital are now back at home after recovering in Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary.
Abby, from Catterick, North Yorks, added: “The whole time I was trying to have to prepare myself that we might be coming out of hospital with no boys.
"He told me to stop thinking like that but you've got to sort of mentally prepare yourself for the worst in these circumstances.
"They're both doing amazing now and we've got a lot of follow up appointments to make sure they're doing okay. They're keeping an eye on Axel's breathing and Acer needs another brain scan as they've found something with his blood cells.
“If you're a new parent, don't, especially with young babies, think they're going to be okay until the next morning.
"I'm a laid-back person with myself but my mother's instinct just kicked in. Everyone we spoke to - midwives, doctors, nurses, consultants - said if we had waited a couple more hours our boys wouldn't be here now.”
Abby and Jason are raising funds for Crawford House, which is ran by the Sick Children's Trust, and provides vital accommodation for parents with seriously ill children in hospital.
