A Scots mum gave birth with just minutes to spare after a tense two-and-a-half hour blue-light journey from her remote home.
Nikki Wasik went into premature labour at her home in Oban and had to be rushed to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley before the tiny tot could arrive in the ambulance.
Thankfully, despite a fraught journey Nikki, 38, made it to hospital and little Torran arrived 16 minutes later.
Torran was seven weeks early and despite his dramatic entrance into the world on February 28 this year, spent four weeks in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, before he was allowed home to dad Shane, 39 and big sister Mara, two.
Nikki said: “Having a baby so early is a frightening experience especially since I lived 2.5 hours drive from the hospital and my labour was less than 5 hours long.”
Two days after arriving in Paisley at the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH), Nikki and Torran were transported to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital by ambulance.
She said: “He had taken a turn for the worse and needed more specialist care than the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Royal Alexandra Hospital could provide. That was the most terrifying day of my life.”
Nikki described the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital as a “familiar place”, as her first daughter Mara was born 10 weeks early in 2017.
She added: “I felt exhausted and a bit dazed but ready to face the NICU at the Queen Elizabeth again. Unfortunately, he was very unwell and had lots of difficulties, especially with breathing.
“I was terrified - I hadn’t even held him yet. He didn’t have a name as I couldn’t see his face. I was still recovering from his birth and wouldn’t be able to go with him unless I could get discharged.”
On Wednesday, March 4, Torran was then transferred back to the Royal Alexandra Hospital and Nikki has reached out to Scottish Ambulance Service staff who were involved in getting her to hospital and then transferring the family between hospitals after Torran was born
Describing it as a “frightening experience”, she got in touch to thank the team of Glasgow-based Yvonne Gibson, Hugh Lavelle and Tommy Berry, and ambulance crew, Daniel Lauder and George Turner, of Oban, who transported her to hospital.
She said: “I was so petrified of Torran being moved. Yvonne, Tommy and Hugh were absolutely outstanding. So professional and precise but incredibly compassionate, caring, understanding and kind.
"They took so much time to establish exactly how to move Torran, to cause him as little distress as possible. They explained every step in terms that I could fully understand.
“When Yvonne and Hugh were talking about more technical aspects, Tommy kept me calm with his great sense of humour.
“Just before they moved Torran they asked if I’d been able to hold him yet. When I said that I hadn’t, they took extra time to allow me to hold him for a few minutes. That meant absolutely everything to me and gave me the strength to get though the next few harrowing days.”
To mark World Prematurity Day Nikki said: “I am eternally grateful to the team of people that made that happen and will never forget the kindness shown to us that day. It was above and beyond all expectations.
“They were absolutely wonderful. They were incredibly calm and so careful with Torran - the care and compassion shown to both of us stays with me still. I got in touch to offer my sincerest thanks for the excellent treatment shown to my son and I last year.
“I was so overwhelmed by their kindness and compassion and they demonstrated the utmost professionalism throughout.”
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