A premature baby who was put in a Tesco sandwich bag straight after birth is now “thriving” thanks to doctors doing “what was best for him”, according to his mum. Lauren Hawking, 29, gave birth to her son, Blake, 13 weeks prematurely when she was 15.
Lauren’s waters broke at five months, and she remained in slow labour for a further month. Doctors were unable to find her baby’s heartbeat during the check-up. The umbilical cord had got caught, and the circulation was cut off. Lauren, from Plymouth, then had an emergency C-section, where Blake was successfully delivered. When a baby is born either prematurely or at a particularly low weight, a ‘bagging’ technique can help the baby retain heat and regulate body temperature. The plastic creates an insulating effect that keeps the baby warm until they can be moved to a stable environment, such as an incubator. Doctors carried out this method to regulate baby Blake’s temperature, but Lauren was shocked to see that he was placed inside a Tesco-branded zip-lock bag. Describing the birth, Lauren told Plymouth Live: “Blake was taken straight to intensive care, so I didn’t get to see him before he was taken down. My mum saw him in the bag and told me about it, but I didn’t believe her until I saw it for myself.
“I didn’t understand why he was in it; all I knew was that whatever they were doing was what was best for him. Being so young, I obviously didn’t know anything about the care of premature babies, nor did any of my family back then, as we’d never experienced it before. I didn’t know anyone who had had a baby born as early as Blake.”
Blake spent the next four months in intensive care with many health difficulties along the way, including Anaemia, an Intraventricular haemorrhage (bleeding into the ventricles of the brain), and Necrotising enterocolitis (inflammation and tissue death in the intestines), among other complications.
Blake developed a chronic lung disease, which put him on oxygen for three years, and he now suffers from a weak immune system, where he’s often poorly with infections.
Blake is now 13 years old, and his mum couldn’t be prouder. “Blake is 13 now and thriving. He has even set up his own home baking business, spent years in sea cadets, taking part in charities and remembrance parades,” Lauren said.
Looking back, despite the scare, Lauren believes watching Blake’s growth outside of the womb was an ‘amazing’ experience.
She said: “Although that time was scary, and Blake’s life was touch and go, the experience itself was amazing. I actually got to watch my baby develop as he would have in the womb.
“It was incredible to witness. Blake and other prem babies like him, despite them being so fragile and vulnerable and so poorly, are so strong, resilient and little miracles.”
Lauren has since given birth to two other children and is with her current partner Sean, who lives with her in Plymouth.
She speaks about her resilience and highlights her experience of giving birth to a child so young. “After he came out of hospital, I was juggling school, exams, college, working and everything in between, but I don’t have any regrets. I would do it again.
“It’s not always about how old you are, I think a lot of people have a lot of criticism and stereotypical views on a teen mum, but actually I’ve worked really hard from being a young mum, to stay away from the stereotype and been able to give them a good life,” she added.
Life for Lauren and her family is now about enjoying every moment. Along with her seven-year-old daughter, Amelia, and two-year-old son, Rowan, the family spends time hiking, exploring, and rehoming animals.
“Blake’s start in life is something that has helped me ensure I never take life for granted, and so we make sure everything second counts,” said Lauren.
Lauren and her family took part in a ‘truly’ short on YouTube. You can watch the full video here.