I was over the moon when I got pregnant but an emergency scan at 22 weeks turned our worlds upside down
A MUM-to-be was overjoyed to be pregnant, after suffering a miscarriage the year before – but she feared the worst for her daughter’s life when she woke up ‘covered in blood’ at 22 weeks.
Courtney Harvey, 21, had been with her partner Samuel Penny, 21, a kitchen worker, for three years when she fell pregnant in October 2021.
The couple were over the moon, though the pregnancy was far from smooth sailing.
Courtney from St Blazey, Cornwall, recalled: “I had been so unwell – it was like my body couldn’t cope with being pregnant.”
The mum-to-be struggled after suffering several bleeds and crippling morning sickness while living with Samuel and his mum, Donna Penny.
She said: “I had lost a baby the year before in April 2021, so I was a nervous wreck throughout.
“I was rushed into hospital after bleeding at six, 13 and 16 weeks along.
“Every time I saw blood I thought, ”this is it – we’ve lost the baby”.
“But she was still there and doing fine.”
At 21-weeks the couple were delighted to learn they were expecting a little girl.
But just a week later, Courtney woke up and found herself “covered in blood”.
She called an ambulance and was rushed to hospital where doctors ran some tests and performed a scan.
“They discovered an infection in my womb, and we were poisoning each other,” she explained.
“The doctors couldn’t tell me whether she would make it or not.
“It was a really stressful time and all we could do was wait and see.”
The mum-to-be left the hospital with antibiotics.
A week later, Courtney was at a friend’s house when her waters suddenly broke at 23 weeks, in March 2022.
She didn’t realise the baby was on the way until two days later, when she was rushed to Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, having contractions.
Courtney said: “It was such little water I thought the baby was on my bladder and just peed myself.
“But I started getting pain and when I arrived, I was told I was in labour.
“I was begging for a C-section, but I was already 8cm dilated.
“The labour was horrible, and she was breach which made it more difficult.
“When she finally arrived, she didn’t make a sound and it took a few seconds before she cried.
Baby Melanie arrived 17 weeks early weighing 1lb – less than a can of beans – and was whisked to a neonatal ward.
“I couldn’t believe she was actually here,” Courtney remembered.
“She was laid on my chest and put in a sort of sandwich bag to keep her warm.
“When she was placed on my chest, she didn’t have any recognisable features.
“She looked like a little alien.
After recovering from labour, Courtney and Sam were told the devastating news that their little girl, who was on a ventilator, only had a 10 per cent chance of survival.
“But she was so strong, and I knew she was a fighter,” Courtney said.
The tiny tot spent four months in hospital fighting for her life after suffering a bleed on the brain and a detached retina in her both eyes.
“Sam and I travelled back and forth every day from Cornwall to Plymouth to see her.
“The hospital and staff were amazing.
“After a few weeks, we were able to stay in the Keep Me Closer housing block which was just a short walk away from her ward.”
Melanie spent three months in intensive care where she suffered a catalogue of health issues including a bleed on the brain.
Doctors spotted an opening in the arterial duct in her heart, but the tot responded well to steroids which closed it up.
She also had a detached retina in both eyes, and she needed surgery to save her sight.
Despite the low survival odds, Melanie was taken off oxygen after three-and-a-half months.
She was then strong enough to undergo surgery on her eye on 8 July, which was success.
The brave tot was taken off a feeding tube and finally able to go home on 24 July 2022, where she has been ever since.
Courtney’s little girl, one-year-old Melanie Harvey, is now thriving.
Courtney said: “I couldn’t believe it, but we stayed strong for her sake.”
Now a full time mum, she added: “She’s such a little character – she’ll eat anything you put in front of her.
“My mum and dad, Sharon Michael, and Samuel’s mum Donna, all love her so much.
“It was amazing when they all finally meet her properly.
“She now weighs 15lb, she’s still small for her age, but I can’t believe how much she’s grown.
“I never knew you could have a baby that premature.
“It was scary, but we had great support around us.
“In many ways I feel so lucky because she pulled through and she’s here.”