Amy and Ross Martin-Macdonald never expected their daughter’s first Christmas would be spent in the intensive care unit.
Hallie-Rose, who was born two weeks early, was only 17-days-old when she developed a nasty cough and cold.
By Christmas Day, she had been flown to the ICU at Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Children and Young People.
There she was hooked-up to ventilator after medics discovered her upper right lung collapsed.
“It’s the scariest thing we have ever been through as a family,” her mum Amy told us.
“But Hallie-Rose is our wee fighter.”
The mum-of-five first took her youngest to A&E because she was “breathing quite fast” and was told this was normal because she had a virus.
Hallie-Rose had contracted respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which will usually get better by itself – but can sometimes develop into something more serious for babies.
“On the Sunday, she started getting worse,” Amy said.
“When I was trying to give her milk, it was like she was choking on it, to the point her lips were going blue.
“I took her down to A&E again where they put her on oxygen.”
Hallie-Rose treated in ICU after contracting RSV
Due to her young age, the doctors carried out a blood gas test and the numbers came back “extremely high”.
Hallie-Rose was then transferred to the high dependency unit in Aberdeen.
“She got worse and worse through the night,” her mum explained.
“She had two episodes through the night where she held her breath – once for 30 seconds and the second time for 45 seconds.
“It was really scary to see.”
After discovering Hallie-Rose’s upper right lung had collapsed, doctors decided the safest option was to transfer her to ICU in Edinburgh.
While she was flown to the capital with a medical team, her parents had to sit through an “awful” taxi journey while waiting for an update.
“It was a scary time,” Amy said.
“We just had to take it day by day.”
Support from Ronald McDonald House
While baby Hallie-Rose was in hospital, her family were supported by Ronald McDonald House in Edinburgh.
The charity helped bring her four siblings – Demi-Leigh, Harper-Marie, Blayke-Kai and Koa-Jay – down on Christmas Eve so they could spend the festive period together.
“Ronald McDonald was so good,” Amy said.
“They kept the children busy and had a playroom and presents for them.
“They were outstanding.”
Hallie-Rose, who is now six-weeks-old, was able to come off the incubator on December 29 and was transferred back to Aberdeen four days later.
By the weekend, she was healthy enough to return home.
“It was scary,” Amy said. “Everything happened so quickly, I was really nervous to be honest.
“But she’s made a really good recovery and the doctors were happy with her at the two-week check up.
“They’ve just told us to be extra cautious if she gets a cold again as she may need a bit more support.”
Be aware of the symptoms of RSV
With Hallie-Rose back home in Sheddocksley with her family, they were able to celebrate Christmas properly, on January 5.
And now her parents are taking the opportunity to spread awareness of RSV and give something back to the charity that helped them through their ordeal.
“We want other people to know what to look out for and to make sure they take their children to the doctor to get checked,” Amy said.
Babies under six months old and young children who were born prematurely have a higher risk of getting seriously ill with RSV.
It is spread in the coughs and sneezes of someone who has the virus.
Most people only get cold-like symptoms, including a cough and a high temperature, but if it leads to a more serious infection it may also cause:
- A cough that gets worse
- Shortness of breath
- Faster breathing or long gaps between breaths
- Difficulty feeding (in babies) or loss of appetite
- Noisy breathing (wheezing)
- Confusion (in older adults)
To give something back to Ronald McDonald House, Hallie-Rose’s dad, Ross, has decided to run 100km throughout February to raise as much money as possible.
“They were amazing,” Amy added. “And, so were the hospital staff in Aberdeen and Edinburgh.
“We’re so thankful to all of them.”
Conversation