Life Flight

Jess and Michael had barely begun preparations for their newest family member. Baby Hugo wasn’t expected for another two months. “We were cruising,” Jess recalled, “we thought we had heaps of time!” But when Jess woke up to find her waters had broken at 32 weeks, all their plans were thrown out the window.

Nelson hospital was their best shot, but when they arrived, the obstetrician delivered some mixed news.

Jess wasn’t in labour yet, so they had some extra time, but Hugo was tiny. Weighing in at 1.5 kg, Nelson’s NICU unit simply wasn’t equipped to safely deliver him. They needed to urgently transfer Jess to Wellington Hospital’s NICU unit.

We were in shock, really; you just don’t expect it to happen to you

– Jess.

Thanks to you, our Life Flight supporters, Jess and Michael didn’t have to scramble to find a solution. Life Flight’s Air Ambulance plane arrived to pick them up the following day. Michael remembers, “Once we were in the hands of Life Flight, everything moved like clockwork.”

“The Life Flight crew were super friendly and really comforting,” Jess said, “I didn’t feel stressed at all.”

Once they arrived at Wellington Hospital, the NICU team closely watched Jess, knowing any moment Hugo could arrive. After an anxious night of waiting, Jess’s contractions had returned with force.

Hugo refused to wait, and Jess’s rapid dilation turned this into a medical emergency. Jess was rushed to an operating theatre, and the skilled team at Wellington NICU got to work.

Jess and Michael were soon introduced to little Hugo. Despite weighing in at 1.5 kg, he was in near-perfect health. After a week in the hospital, Life Flight flew them all back home to Blenheim.

“Thank you for supporting Life Flight,” said Michael.

You’re keeping families together and allowing them to support each other through what maybe the hardest time of their lives.