A four-month-old baby who lost both his triplet sisters shortly after birth is celebrating finally returning home after having to spend Christmas in hospital too.
George Dunn was born at 28 weeks on September 6 weighing only two pounds and six ounces alongside Heidi and Harriet, who each weighed around one and a half pounds.
Tragically neither girl survived more than two weeks but George, who was born between his sisters, continued to fight in hospital for 11 weeks before finally being discharged in November 26.
The youngster was gradually gaining strength at home in the run up to Christmas when he fell ill and was rushed back to hospital, where he was diagnosed with a double hernia and at one point stopped breathing.
George, born via IVF, underwent even more urgent treatment before being allowed to return home on Christmas Day afternoon with his mum Victoria, 34, dad Paul, 36, and older brother Alfie, four.
The family from Widnes, Cheshire, are hoping for a better 2021, according to Victoria, who said the events of this year were “tragic” and “amazing” in equal measure.
She said: “Little George has been through so much in such a short life already.
“We feel so grateful to have him and especially to have him at home after spending so much time in hospital.
“Even though we’re happy to be here the memories of Heidi and Harriet are still very much with us.
“We thought and really wanted to be coming home with three babies, unfortunately that hasn’t happened and it’s heart-breaking.
“But we are so grateful for George, he’s amazing.”
Victoria conceived via IVF in Cyprus and said that, along with Paul, she was elated to find out she was having triplets.
She said everything was fine until 16 weeks when a scan showed one of the babies wasn’t developing at the expected pace and over the coming weeks it became clear Victoria would not go full term.
Doctors suggested a selective reduction, which would have meant removing one of the foetuses in order to reduce the risk of preterm birth.
Victoria said the idea was “never an option” and went on to give birth to the triplets via caesarean on September 6.
While George was tiny at two pounds and six ounces Harriet, born first, and Heidi weighed only one pound six ounces and one pound four ounces respectively.
In addition to the issues resulting from their underdevelopment, all three were also diagnosed with cytomegalovirus (CMV), a condition related to the herpes virus.
Although CMV is usually harmless, it had a devastating effect on the triplets due to their small sizes.
Harriet died from the condition on September 7 while Heidi passed away from prematurity, which was complicated by CMV, on September 21.
George fought for his life at Liverpool Women’s Hospital for nearly three months before finally being deemed strong enough to go home.
Victoria said: “It was an incredible moment, very emotional. It was so nice to finally take him away with us.”
While recovering at home in December Victoria, who worked in HR before giving birth, noticed George wasn’t going to the toilet and seemed unwell.
He was admitted to hospital on December 22, when doctors found he had a double hernia in his bowel which required an operation.
George then had a bad reaction to morphine he was given to cope with the operation and once again fell ill. Victoria said that at one point her boy stopped breathing.
She added: “There was a moment when I thought ‘I can’t lose him as well’.
“It was another really stressful time but I did feel like he was going to be okay in the end and thankfully he was.”
George was finally discharged on Christmas Day afternoon and the family returned home just in time to eat a delicious dinner made by Paul’s mum.
Victoria said: “It was a bit chaotic because we didn’t know when we would be allowed out but to leave on Christmas Day was nice.”
George’s recovery is ongoing as he is still undersized for his age, weighing only seven pounds and eleven ounces, and suffers from a condition called chronic lung disease.
The disorder affects the lungs and other parts of the respiratory system and means that, at the moment, George needs an oxygen machine to help him breathe.
Victoria said: “It’s an ongoing challenge but we’re very positive for the future and are looking forward to living a normal family life this year.”
Victoria was supported throughout her ordeal by a charitable organisation called Wirral Wings, which turns wedding dresses into gowns for babies who have passed away.
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