A baby boy born at 25 weeks’ gestation has beaten the odds, not only surviving resuscitation, E.coli, and sepsis, but also beating Covid-19, all in his first two months of life. His parents cannot wait to bring him home.
Following that, he was placed on a ventilator in the NICU.
“I felt completely helpless ... I wanted to do something for him,” said Archie’s dad, Robert Edwards, a construction worker. “I just sat down next to Sheree and prayed.”
Archie was born at Burnley General Hospital in Lancashire weighing just 1 pound 11 ounces (approx. 765 g). However, the terrified parents were unable to touch their baby—who fought for his life—as his skin was so tender.
However, the struggle wasn’t over. At just 5 weeks old, Archie caught E.coli, a bacterial infection that developed into sepsis. As doctors went ahead to test aggressively, they discovered that Archie even tested positive for Covid-19.
Sheree called this diagnosis “the scariest part,” recalling, “I just wanted a black hole to swallow me up.”
The new parents tested negative for the virus, but their baby was placed in isolation where he fought, once again, for his life.
“[Archie’s] lungs were going white, and I honestly thought we were going to lose him in those 10 days,” he added.
A former mental health student herself, she praised the staff at Burnley General for their “absolutely amazing” care and for “fighting harder” for Archie, even when doctors feared he wouldn’t make it.
“I’m so happy with the progress he’s made,” she continued. “I’m so proud of him.”
Robert agreed, claiming, “He’s our miracle baby, and we couldn’t be prouder of him.”
By the end of January, Archie weighed just over 3 pounds (approx. 1.4 kg). Sheree and Robert, in compliance with hospital regulations amid the pandemic, plan to continue taking turns visiting their baby in the hospital until he is allowed home.
They hope he will be discharged in March, which is the month he was actually supposed to be born.
