GazingĀ at her tiny daughter Isla, Alana Walker is filled with a mix of pride and love.
But the north mother knows she also owes a debt of gratitude to a charity, whose advice played a part in Isla being healthy today.
Count the Kicks educates mums-to-be about how much movement they should expect from their unborn child.
Mrs Walker gave birth to Isla by c-section 10 days early after experiencing reduced movement on two occasions in under a week.
She now wants mums-to-be to be aware of the dangers of reduced movement, as failing to do so can lead to infection and health complications – and even death.
The 30-year-old nursery worker, of Mayfield Wynd, Tain, was watching television one evening last month when she realised she had not felt her unborn child move all day.
Mrs Walker was more than 38 weeks pregnant when this happened and at this late stage, mothers can expect to have 10 kicks a day.
Feeling concerned, she went online and discovered Count the Kicks, which provides valuable information to mothers about pregnancy and what to do when the baby stops kicking.
She called the midwife early the following morning and was taken to Invergordon’s County Community Hospital for a heart trace, which showed that everything was okay.
But three days later she noticed a lack of movement again and called Raigmore Hospital, where she was then taken for another heart trace and a full scan.
Mrs Walker, who lives with husband Robert, Isla and their two other children, eight-year-old Charlotte and five-year-old Sophie, said: “They wanted to know why there was such little movement. When they did the scan they noticed I had very little fluid around the baby. This creates a higher risk of infection and it would then cause a lot of problems when a baby was born, perhaps with breathing difficulties.
“It could have been fatal for her if I had not thought anything of not feeling the kicks – she could not be alive today. She could easily have been still born or easily have had a big infection and had further complications for life.
“It is really important to learn about the importance of a baby’s kicks, especially for mums-to-be who are not aware of so many dangers during pregnancy. We are carrying this precious little thing and have to be careful with what we eat and do, to make sure they are healthy and to make sure you end up with a little bundle of joy at end.
“If there is anything you don’t think is right, don’t be scared to get it checked. Some mums might shake it off and get it done later but later could be too late.”
Isla was born on Tuesday, November 17 and weighed in at a healthy 8lbs 10ozs.