24/04/2026
❤️ UHSussex Birth Stories.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us Amber. Your boy Brodie is absolutely gorgeous 🥰
“The second I walked into Chichester Maternity Unit, everything changed. In a moment that could have been filled with fear, I was met instead with calm, strength, and compassion. It didn’t feel like walking into a hospital full of strangers—it felt like walking into family. Every single doctor and nurse was incredible. They didn’t just treat me, they cared for me, completely. From the amount of blood I lost to the way they reassured me, over and over, that my baby would survive, they carried me through those earliest, most fragile days.
At 23 weeks, I was transferred to QA Portsmouth. By then, everything felt stacked against us: six retroplacental blood clots, broken waters, sepsis, placenta previa, and a partial abruption. Every day was uncertain. And yet, because of the care that started at St Richard’s, I was able to keep my son safe inside me until 27 weeks and 6 days.
When Brodie was born, he weighed just 2lb 3oz. He was so tiny, so fragile, and soon dropped to 900 grams, where he stayed for what felt like forever. He needed multiple blood transfusions, and every step forward felt hard-won. But even then, he showed us his strength. In his own quiet way, he kept going. He sailed through in ways that amazed everyone.
On New Year’s Eve, he was transferred back to St Richard’s. It should have felt like a turning point, but it didn’t go smoothly. They suspected NEC from the stress of the move, and everything happened so quickly—but never without care. They stopped his feeds immediately, focused on getting him stable, and slowly, carefully, built him back up again. Then they began to reintroduce feeds.
Brodie was tube-fed, and at 34 weeks we tried bottle feeding. It was one of the hardest parts. He would stop breathing, aspirate, and every feed felt frightening. He went back onto oxygen. We saw every specialist possible, searching for answers, trying to understand what he needed. Through it all, we were surrounded by care, patience, and love because that’s what every single person gave us.
Even in the hardest moments, they found ways to bring light. They made little cards with his tiny footprints, small but powerful reminders of just how far he’d come. Those gestures meant everything they still do.
Eventually, Brodie came home weighing 6lb, still nil by mouth and completely tube-fed. That was our reality for a long time until he was just over three years old.
Now, he’s nearly five. He has disabilities and dysphagia, and our journey is still ongoing. We’re not 100% there yet. But when I look at him, I see strength, resilience, and a story that so many people helped write.
Every doctor, nurse, and consultant. The NICU team, the children’s ward, the cleaners, the play staff every single person played a part. They didn’t just care for him medically, they loved him, and they supported us in ways I’ll never forget.
St Richard’s maternity staff gave my baby a chance at a life that once felt impossible. They fought for him to be heard, to be seen, to be well. And I will carry that with me forever.
That’s why I give back however I can donating to the hospital charity, especially the NICU, buying feeding tube tapes, and even helped find a potential sponsor for feeding tube tapes! It will never feel like enough, because there aren’t words big enough for the gratitude I feel.
But this is part of it telling his story, and making sure they know just how much they mean to us”.
