Hello,

Please take time to read this heartbreaking story with open arms and provide any love and support to Meggie and her family at this extremely difficult time.

Meggie gave birth to her beautiful baby boy Louie on Tuesday 3rd December, making Bella a very proud big sister. She was supported in surgery by her twin sister Georgia, who their mum Tre says they are like one person, with an unbreakable bond. Whilst Meggie has huge huge support from all her family and friends, she is going through this terrible journey on her own. This is every parents worst night mare. Meggie is currently in Bristol children’s hospital with her baby boy, whilst Bella is at home with the support of a big family.

Unfortunately little baby Louie has a long road to recovery, so Meggie and Louie will be away for weeks if not months whilst Louie recovers and starts his own journey to get better and stronger.

No matter how big or small, any contribution will help Meggie and her family in more ways than ever, whilst she is away from the comfort of her home and family. Family are making trips up and down to support as much as they possibly can.

This is Louie’s Story:

At 36 weeks pregnant, during a growth scan the sonographer saw Louie’s kidneys were swelling, his bladder was distended and he had a dilated ureter. Louie was later diagnosed with hydronephrosis. Further investigations also found that Louie’s symptoms are consistent with posterior urethral valves. (NHS references shown below)

A neonatal care plan was put in place to manage this at a local hospital. 

When Louie was born, Louie was taken from his mum to NICU for a catheter to be inserted. Whilst there, the staff noticed he was having trouble breathing so he was put on high flow oxygen, and they also attempted to put a feeding tube in his stomach. Unfortunately the feeding tube kept looping back and coming out of his mouth which displayed that there could be a blockage. Due to Louie’s condition  it was then decided that Louie needed to be transferred to Bristol Children’s Hospital via ambulance that day where further testing and X-Rays could take place. After Louie was intubated and his condition monitored, he was made safe for travel and so the SONAR team took Louie and Transferred him to Bristol Children’s Hospital. Sadly Louie had to be transferred without his mum, until she later recovered from surgery and was transferred to Bristol separately later that night where she waited to see her baby boy, also leaving her eldest daughter Bella with her mum. 

Further testing found that Louie also has a rare birth defect called Oesophageal Atresia and Tracheo-oesophageal fistula. The upper part of his oesophagus does not connect to the lower part, which results in his upper oesophagus being a pouch and a large gap between the lower part of the oesophagus which is connected to the stomach. Louie also has a connection of his lower oesophagus to his trachea which is resulting in air getting into his stomach and fluids to his lungs. 

Louie has been nil by mouth since birth as it is impossible for feeds to reach his stomach and has been fed through an IV. 

It was thought that Louie wasn’t strong enough for the necessary surgery however later that day little Louie went into surgery. The surgery was a long 5 hours and they have successfully connected the oesophagus. Louie is currently on medication to keep him paralysed whilst he recovers and is also intubated, this will be for around 48 hours, whilst he is continuously monitored.   

Further testing will be done on his kidney function once he starts to recover from his intense surgery. We will know more on how Louie is coping once he is extubated and has woken up. 

Meggie has been so brave during this extremely scary difficult time. Please share this and contribute where possible to make this journey ever so slightly easier.

Thank you so much to everyone in advance of their support.

NHS References

Hydronephrosis is a condition where one or both kidneys become stretched and swollen as the result of a build-up of urine inside them.

Posterior urethral valves (PUV) is a condition found only in boys that affects the urethra (the tube which runs from the bladder to the outside). The urinary system consists of the kidneys, the bladder and ureters. The kidneys filter the blood to remove waste products and form urine. The urine flows from the kidneys down through the ureters to the bladder. During urination it passes through the urethra to the outside. In PUV, the urethra has a blockage in it near the bladder. This makes it difficult for a child to pass urine. As the bladder pushes hard to get the urine out, it causes pressure which may result in urine being pushed back from the bladder into the ureters and kidneys. This causes the kidneys and bladder to swell and may lead to kidney damage.

Oesophageal atresia is a rare birth defect that affects a baby's oesophagus (the tube through which food passes from the mouth to the stomach).The upper part of the oesophagus doesn't connect with the lower oesophagus and stomach. It usually ends in a pouch, which means food can't reach the stomach. It often happens along with another birth defect called a tracheo-oesophageal fistula, which is a connection between the lower part of the oesophagus and the windpipe (trachea). This causes air to pass from the windpipe to the oesophagus and stomach, and stomach acid to pass into the lungs. These defects mean the baby won't be able to swallow safely, if at all. They could also develop life-threatening problems such as choking and pneumonia if not treated quickly, so surgery will usually be carried out within a few days of birth.