"Five nights into our trip, I woke up to my waters breaking." - Katie's story #AirAmbulanceWeek

At my 9-week booking appointment I remember telling my midwife I had a feeling my baby would come early. What I didn’t realise is, it would be a lot earlier than I had originally thought. 

By week 5/6 of my pregnancy, I was bedridden with debilitating sickness and nausea. Over the coming weeks I worked my way through different medications and trips to A&E as I had the unfortunate experience of developing Hyperemesis Gravadarium. Everyone kept telling me it would ease as my pregnancy progressed, which it didn’t but it was more manageable with a combination of tablets. My mental health, however, was quite low and I felt much of my pregnancy was taken away from me. 

My husband, Dan and I decided to book a babymoon to Kos, Greece. This is where we got married 4 years earlier so it felt perfect and sentimental, what I needed to lift my spirits. Five nights into our trip I woke up to my waters breaking. I tried to reason with myself that it was in fact something else but the panic and fear is something that will never leave me. I just knew. I was only 29 weeks. In that moment so many things go through your mind. The most painful thoughts were one of us, maybe both, aren’t going to make it. 

After an agonising wait at the hospital to be collected and taken to another part of Greece, a friend told me about a charity called Lia’s Wings who later became a lifeline. A source of hope. 

I was flown to Athens. Alone. My husband had the logistical and emotional nightmare of getting himself to the hospital himself after leaving me to fly to somewhere neither of us knew. One memory which stands out is leaving him at Kos airport, wondering if this was the last time we’d ever see each other. The fear of the unknown of what was going to happen lingered over me whilst I felt my little boy kicking away during my flight to Athens. 

Once examined in Athens, I was told I wasn’t in labour and I’d stay there to deliver my baby at 34 weeks. Around 25 minutes later I was rushed down to the labour ward. My husband wasn’t allowed with me and I quickly birthed our little boy Miles alone. 

I heard a small cry, but I didn’t ever see his face. Within less than 10 seconds my baby was gone. Completely ripped away from me. I lay there with no baby on my chest, no golden hour, no delayed cord clamping and no husband. Just pure relief he was alive. Soon after the reality of the situation set in that he was in fact fighting for his life. 

I was reunited with Dan for less than a minute in the corridor of the hospital and then taken back into the ward for hours where I laid with no idea what was happening. Dan yet again had the emotional and logistical nightmare and task of trying to find our baby in a foreign country with no idea where to go or what was happening. It wasn’t until 5 hours later when Dan returned to me that I found out Miles had been moved to another hospital. During that time, I had to endure listening to women birth their babies and have them returned, being wheeled right past me. 

I met my baby Miles almost 4 days later. During those days, Dan was running around Athens with different paperwork to the embassy, organising a temporary GHIC for our baby and visiting Miles, reading him stories off his phone as the unit had none in English. Lia's Wings helped us emotionally and practically to suddenly face the task of getting home. 

They were our lifeline back to the UK. We had numerous calls and many many texts to help us navigate NICU life abroad. Lia’s Wings also spoke to our local NICU back home and shared our contact details so we could speak to the team before our return. They helped interpret different monitors, different numbers and test results. A real hard reality we faced was that there were complications with Miles after delivery. We had heart and head scan results which no one had told us had been done or what the results really were. This created huge anxiety for me but Lia's Wings got to work easing that anxiety by taking the time to explain, go through what it actually means in real plain terms. It also helped me understand what that meant for repatriation too. 

Another huge challenge for those who give birth abroad is obtaining an emergency travel document or ETD. This can take some time and was quite stressful. One barrier we faced was before we could collect the document we needed to provide a photo of Miles. With the lights and monitors, the glare on the photo posed a challenge for them to accept. Another challenge was the video call to prove our identity. No one had told us Miles needed to be present, so we then had to schedule a separate call later that day to go back to the hospital and for us to show him to them. Lia’s Wings were there for us every step of the way. Every barrier we faced, they picked us up when we needed it most. 

We were very fortunate that we had taken out travel insurance before we travelled. They covered our claim and our flight home which saved Lia’s Wings coming to collect us themselves. As a small charity it’s not lost on me how expensive it is for them to support so many families, in different countries and with different circumstances every single year. Being covered by the insurance was a relief in so many ways. 

The day finally arrived where we flew home. Due to space in the aircraft only one parent is allowed to fly with your baby. Another moment Dan and I had to experience together but apart. Seeing your tiny baby moved from incubator to incubator was quite emotional. So many different wires and attachments need to be worked out. Once we landed at Southampton, we were taken to our local NICU in Salisbury. We were home. 

We spent a further 3 and a half weeks in NICU. It was tough mentally on myself. I’ve since been diagnosed with PTSD and Postnatal depression which I’m seeking help for through a specialised team. The trauma of birthing an early baby never leaves you, especially when you do it abroad. It amazes me that there is such advanced technology that can support such tiny babies, 40,000 feet in the air and charities like Lia’s Wings who go above and beyond and save you in your darkest time.