Mother’s Day came early for Sunbury mother Jane Elliott in 2012 when daughter Hayley Grace Elliott surprised her.
Hayley, who turns two on Wednesday, was born premature when Mrs Elliott was only 33 weeks pregnant.
It was a bittersweet Mother’s Day gift for Mrs Elliott, who initially spent four weeks apart from her baby girl while Hayley was cared for in hospital.
“It was a really scary experience,” Mrs Elliott said. “You don’t know what to expect – there’s so many things going through your mind.”
Mrs Elliott experienced a healthy pregnancy and said she was not expecting an early birth.
She said she was a “planner” and had booked her hospital bed and expected to leave hospital with lots of flowers and her baby, but she couldn’t.
“I couldn’t hold her, I couldn’t take her home, I couldn’t bathe her,” she said.
After spending time in the special care unit when she was born, and regular check-ups along the way, Hayley is “healthy and brilliant”, says her mother.
“She’s just kicked goals from the moment she was born,” Mrs Elliott said.
She said she hoped her story would raise awareness about premature birth and give other parents hope. She said organisations such as Life’s Little Treasures Foundation were informative and a great way to meet other parents with similar experiences.
The foundation is Australia’s leading charity dedicated to providing information, support and understanding to the parents of babies born premature or sick.
More information: www.lifeslittletreasures.org.au
