october 23 - 29 | 2013
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Special deliveries By KYLIE WILSON
SPIRITED YOUNGSTER:
Heidi May with daughter Kodie-Ann, who was born at 27 weeks’ gestation (inset). MAIN PHOTO: Kylie Wilson
GARDENING WITH
JAN
RSPCA
FILM
RUBY
IN BOB
WITH
WE TRUST
Intro 1 year fixed*
WINE TALK WITH
ANITA
SEEING a tiny woollen hat no bigger than a jam jar lid, perched in the palm of Heidi May’s hand, hits home just how fragile her daughter Kodie-Ann May was when she was born. A brush with septicemia meant Heidi had to be hospitalised halfway through her pregnancy, first in Wangaratta and then at Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne, to try and delay the birth as long as possible. But little Kodie-Ann arrived early, weighing 965 grams, at just 27 weeks’ gestation, one of the estimated 25,000 babies born prematurely in Australia each year. Now approaching her third birthday, Kodie-Ann is a bright, bubbly and inquisitive toddler who can’t wait to explore her surroundings, and while she is petite, she shows few outward signs of her dramatic entry to the world. “It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” said Heidi at her Wilby home, reflecting on those anxious early months where her daughter was in neonatal intensive care. “The first night after she was born, she gave them a run for their money, but she progressed well. “They’re so early, there’s a chance they can have a serious bleed on the brain.” Even when brought home to Heidi and Dad Ron, Kodie-Ann was still wearing doll sized clothing. “It’s a hard road…no one can understand what it is like until you’ve done it,” said Heidi. continued page |
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