A Godmanchester woman took part in a charity skydive to raise awareness for a condition which caused her sister to give birth to her daughter 16 weeks premature.
Lianna Foster, 27, of Fishers Way, Godmanchester, joined a group skydive yesterday (Saturday) in support of her sister Maxie Skye-Foster, who lives at Woodlands, Hinchingbrooke.
The 25-year-old was 23 weeks and three days pregnant when her waters broke on August 3 due to preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM).
She was taken to Hinchingbrooke Hospital where she had a scan and doctors hoped to get Ms Skye-Foster to 34 weeks before giving birth to allow the baby to grow.
But a week later, she started having pains and her temperature rose quickly. Miss Skye-Foster said: “They phoned Addenbrooke’s first and then others in East Anglia but none had room for me, so at 3am I was blue-lighted to Nottingham City Hospital.
“My infection had got higher and my oxygen rate started to drop. My heart rate was dropping and they decided to induce me. They examined me and the doctors wanted to leave me for a couple of hours to see how I’d get on, but the obstetrician said I didn’t have a couple of hours. That’s when they stopped monitoring Isla and focused on me as Isla and myself could have died.”
Isla was born at 7.55pm on August 12, weighing just 1lb 7oz – the average is 7lb 4oz for girls.
After Isla was born, she was taken to an incubator unit and treated for infections. Over the next few weeks, she was taken to another hospital to have surgery for a feeding line to be fitted and also to Leicester Glenfield Hospital for heart surgery as ducts on her heart weren’t closing properly.
She also has suffered five cardiac arrests, one of which she didn’t respond for 30 minutes.
Isla is now at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, in Cambridge, where she has been for the last three weeks. Miss Skye-Foster said: “Isla was a bit of a diva and was very popular in Nottingham. She touched a lot of hearts.
“She’s doing really well and is now 4lb 1oz.”
Ms Skye-Foster added: “I hadn’t heard of the condition so I didn’t know what was happening. I think that in the first midwife meeting people should be told about it.”
Yesterday, Miss Foster took part in a skydive to raise awareness of PPROM and money for the UCLH charity, which is funding research into preventing premature births and developing stem cells treatment to heal the amniotic sack.
INFORMATION: To sponsor Lianna, visit www.justgiving.com/Lianna-Foster.
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