I found out I was pregnant on 31 January 2025, and I felt terrified and incredibly excited all at once. My due date was 5 October 2025, and it felt so far away, I couldn’t wait to meet my little one.
At my 20‑week scan, I was told I had a short cervix and that I would need progesterone and regular scans until 24 weeks. At my final scan, I was reassured that my cervix was measuring 2.2 cm and appeared very stable. A few days later, I started experiencing cramping which I almost brushed off until my partner insisted we get it checked. We went to triage, where we discovered I was already dilated and from that point on, everything became a blur. In the early hours of the morning, I was transferred to a Level 3 NICU hospital in Gillingham and after six days and numerous procedures, I gave birth via emergency C-section.
Mason was born on 30th June 2025, weighing just 935 grams. The following day, we were told he had free air in his abdomen and needed an urgent transfer to a surgical NICU. Shortly after, we learned that St George’s Hospital in Tooting had a space for him and I was quickly reviewed by a gynaecology doctor and discharged. By the time the transport team arrived, we were on our way to London.
Mason had surgery the next day and initially recovered well. However, two weeks later, he developed a pneumothorax, a condition where air leaks into the space between the lungs and chest wall causing the lungs to collapse either partially or completely, which made him very poorly again. During this time, I was staying in a shared room on the unit and was given a Ronald McDonald House Day Pass, which allowed me to step away from the hospital briefly when I needed a break.
Mason recovered from the pneumothorax, and we finally began preparing to move closer to home. Everything was ready, a space had been found, and the transport team was available when Mason suddenly became unwell again, this time with sepsis. A few days later, he was rushed into theatre with necrotising enterocolitis, a serious intestinal condition in newborns where portions of the intestinal tissue become inflamed (NEC).
Once again, our world was turned upside down. This time, we were almost immediately offered a room at Ronald McDonald House Tooting, and it made an enormous difference. Mason slowly and steadily grew stronger, and I was so grateful to have a room so close to him. I finally had a routine, and the days felt more manageable compared to when I was staying on the unit. Having a room also meant my mum could travel from Greece and stay with us, which meant everything.
Before we were given a room at the House, we had to stay in the family room on the unit for the first three nights, unsure if there would be anywhere for us to stay long‑term. I even started looking for places to rent nearby. Walking into the room we stayed in felt incredible, after six weeks of living on the unit, I finally had a proper space of my own. The following two months became so much easier.
Without Ronald McDonald House UK, I would have had no choice but to rent somewhere nearby. The journey home from Tooting was at least a two‑hour drive, and there was no way I could leave my baby alone.
One moment that really stands out from our stay was when my best friend came over from Greece and was able to stay with me for a few days. I was so grateful that this was even possible. Having a routine, having my partner stay over, my mum with us, and meeting other parents in the kitchen for chats all helped us cope during an incredibly difficult time.
What was meant to be a short transfer turned into a three‑and‑a‑half‑month stay. We were eventually discharged back to Southend in mid‑October and finally went home at the end of October.