Life Flight

At 30 weeks pregnant, Georgia’s world turned upside down. She woke to find her waters had broken far too early. In a panic, Georgia and her husband, Dylan, rushed to Wairarapa Hospital.

Tests confirmed her worst fear: she was in active labour. But Wairarapa Hospital didn’t have the resources to manage a baby born this early. Time was running out. Georgia’s contractions were getting stronger and more regular.

She needed a way to Wellington Hospital immediately, and the kind support of the community gave her an option.

A call was put through to the Life Flight dispatch centre.

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was ready but had to divert to an even more urgent case. By coincidence, the crew had to retrieve a woman Georgia knew who had gone into labour at 27 weeks. Life Flight’s coordinator moved quickly to arrange an Air Ambulance plane so Georgia could get the urgent help she needed.

Soon, the Life Flight crew Dan, Sarah and Ian touched down in the Air Ambulance, ready to get Georgia and her baby to specialised care.

I’d never felt so scared,” Georgia admits. “But once we were airborne, something shifted. The crew’s calmness gave me confidence. I thought I’d panic, but they kept me calm. I kept thinking, ‘I’m in the best hands, on my way to the best place.’

Just 19 minutes later, they landed in Wellington where the NICU team was ready, and Georgia’s baby had a fighting chance.

That swift intervention allowed the NICU team to delay the birth by two weeks, giving her time to grow stronger every day. When the day finally came, Mirabella was born strong and healthy for a premature baby!

When reflecting on the birth, Georgia said, “From my first contraction to her coming, it was an hour and a half. So, if they tried to ambulance me that day, I would have given birth on the way to the hospital.”

Your generous support ensured Georgia and Mirabella had the best chance at a healthy start. Mirabella is now six months old and a healthy, happy baby, adored by her big brother Maverick. “Our wee girl is an absolute little weapon, and you’d never know she was born premature,” Georgia laughs.

As a nurse, Georgia is deeply aware that life-or-death emergencies happen all the time in her rural area. “Life or death emergencies like this happen all the time in our rural area. Without Life Flight supporters who make these retrievals possible, there would be so many more tragedies. Not just for babies, but for people with serious illnesses and those who have car or motorcycle accidents.”

You never know how precious the work of Life Flight is until you’re the ones using the service! Without you, we could have lost our daughter. Thank you for keeping our family complete!