A success story from the NICU at Luton & Dunstable Hospital

It's three years this month since the Snoxells' daughter, Ellin, came home from the Luton & Dunstable Hospital where she was born weighing only 1lb 14 1/2 oz and suffering from meningitis. And even though she's now a giggly little girl with a mass of dark curls and a sunny personality, proud parents Paul and Louise will never forget the trauma of her birth and the anxious weeks that followed. Paul, 47, who runs an IT company, says simply: "She will always be our miracle baby." Ellin appears to have inherited her mother's strength and tenacity. Louise says: "She must have been tough to survive. And I was absolutely determined life would continue as normal after she was born. If our three boys had seen me crying, that would have made them scared. I never lost a night's sleep because I knew she was alive and that was all that mattered." Doctors discovered that Louise had developed Group G strep during her pregnancy. This infected the fluid surrounding Ellin, which brought on premature labour. The tiny tot spent her first three months alternating between the high and low dependency units in the neonatal clinic. "It was surreal," Louise says, looking at pictures of her tiny baby. "She was only a little bigger than my hand. There are all these fragile little beings in plastic boxes. It's very busy with lots of noise and beeps going on and off. "The staff were just wonderful, they're just like an extended family. You can never thank them enough. We give them a donation every year on her birthday but you can never repay them. " The couple, who libe in London Road, Dunstable, are involved with baby charity Tommy's which funds research into more healthy births. "How can you say no when you've had so much support yourself?" Louise asks . For more information, visit www.tommys.org or speak to a Tommy's midwife on 08707 77 30 60. Words: Bev Creagh Video: Natalee Hazelwood www.lutontoday.co.uk

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YouTube | January 12, 2009

Tags:. .tenacity. .nicu. .meningitis. .giggly. .premature