A common feeling around conception and pregnancy is anxiety. The miracle of conception and each passing week as a baby grows in our womb can bring about anxious thoughts and questions of what if? We learn how to worry for our children the moment they are conceived and despite what they put us through (morning sickness, labour, lifestyle sacrifices and etc), we just want what is best for our little ones. We know the best outcome for our baby is to arrive as close as they can to that 40 week mark.

We bring you this story of a remarkable mum who, despite the odds, pressed through her anxiety to bring a beautiful little boy into the world. Natalie Ena Burns has shared incredible photos and details of her recent birth to Chase Raymond who was born prematurely and is in hospital until he is ready to be released from care.

This is Natalie’s Story. When Your Waters Prematurely Rupture.

Natalie Ena Burns – Warrior Mum

Natalie was 21 weeks and 2 days when she went in for her normal morphology ultrasound which is usually carried out at the 19-20 week mark. The pregnancy had been travelling well and Natalie had calmly told herself things would be different with this pregnancy as she previously had given birth to a 26 week old.

It was at this scan that the ultrasound technician left the room only to invite in two doctors who promptly asked Natalie if her waters had broken. Natalie looked at the doctor confused and didn’t think the doctor was asking her the question. The doctor repeated the question and Natalie realized the doctor was talking to her. She told the doctor she wasn’t aware of her waters breaking. The doctor looked worried and explained there was hardly any fluid around the baby and the waters must have broken because there was no explanation for the lack of fluid around the baby.

Natalie was surprised by this news as she couldn’t remember any gushes to suggest her waters had broken.

The doctors promptly measured Natalie’s cervix and found that it was shortening, so she was sent straight to the labour ward where a speculum and swab analysist was taken. The test came back positive, that Natalie’s waters had broken. Another doctor told Natalie “I’m sorry but it came back positive, there’s nothing we can do for the baby at this gestation he’s not viable. We are admitting you just in case you deliver overnight.” Natalie was told she’d have 80% chance of giving birth within 7 days. She was devastated at receiving this news. She couldn’t believe the odds of having to endure another premature birth. She had hoped against having another premature birth and from 20 weeks Natalie had started progesterone to ensure a better outcome for this pregnancy

Thankfully Natalie was able to draw on the strength of her twin sister, who worked at the hospital as a midwife.

The next day, Natalie went home and was given antibiotics that she was to take for the next 10 days. She also had to get her bloods checked twice weekly and have a weekly swab and ultrasound. Natalie’s temperature was checked a few times a day too.

Natalie’s hope began to rise as the days passed. The ultrasounds looked good but even though her baby boy had a good pouch of fluid, there wasn’t a lot anywhere else which was still concerning.

Natalie still hadn’t experienced any gushes. .

When she hit 23 weeks and 5 days and 23 weeks and 6 days Natalie was given steroid shots.

Natalie was excited knowing the steroid shots would help her beautiful baby.

However at 23 weeks and 6 days, she started to feel off and noticed she had started to leak a yellow fluid. She knew this wasn’t good. She also had high temps and her heart rate had started to increase and go crazy.

At 24 weeks and 2 days Natalie felt horrible but went in for her ultrasound at the Mater and they gave her a rundown of what to expect if she were to have her baby at 24 weeks.

During the explanation, Natalie told the doctor she didn’t feel good. The doctor made a note and sent Natalie home.

When Natalie got home she called Logan hospital to see if they would see her as she was in the process of changing her hospital arrangements for the delivery. Logan hospital took her in and did some tests. They were concerned with the high temperature, low blood pressure and high heart rate.

The team cannulated her and sent bloods off to be examined. A few hours later Natalie was given bad news that she had an infection.

Natalie was straight away transferred to the Royal Women’s Hospital on the other side of Brisbane.

More obs, antibiotics and magnesium were given to prevent a brain bleed in a premature baby. Natalie was hooked up to a catheter and wasn’t allowed to move, eat or drink.

The doctor was called in to do an ultrasound and she was happy the baby was having breathing motions and asked Natalie, if she wanted her baby to be resuscitated when born.

Natalie remembers that night being a night of hell where she experienced awful pain in her uterus. She knew that her baby would be delivered soon.

The next morning Natalie was still in so much pain and was contracting. She was given morphine to help with the pain. The magnesium that had been given could also settle labour. Natalie asked if this was right when she asked a nurse, but she told Natalie they didn’t want to stop labour. They would have to deliver now that she was experiencing contractions.

Around lunch time (Natalie was 24 weeks and 4 days at this point) they ran bloods. The diagnosis was if the level of infections had gone up, she would have to deliver, but the results came back the same.

The bloods were tested again but they came back at the same level. By this stage the doctor told Natalie to ring her partner as her baby was coming. The doctor felt Natalie and told her

“I don’t like the feel of this, call a CAT 2 we are delivering this baby.”

Thankfully Natalie’s twin sister had come to the hospital, or else Natalie would have given birth on her own. Her partner was not going to arrive on time and as a result missed the birth of his son.

Within one hour Chase Raymond was born weighing 804 grams. He came out screaming and had an apgar score of 6 and 9.

Chase Raymond – a little fighter

Natalie was too scared to look over to her son as she didn’t want to see what a 24 week baby would look like. She worried he would be too tiny to resuscitate. She remembers the nurses being nervous.

Chase with the midwives

Natalie is so thankful to have reached those extra weeks as they made all the difference in Chase’s survival. But she still feels upset that she should still be pregnant.

As a result of the premature birth, she hasn’t bought anything for her son as she was filled with fear of miscarrying in the early days and then the shock of PPROM (premature membrane rupture) at 21 weeks. Natalie didn’t want to look at the baby things if little Chase didn’t make it.

But he did make it and at present he is in the best care.

We are so privileged that Natalie has allowed us to follow her and Chase’s journey as he grows to be stronger and Natalie can finally bring her son home.

Natalie encourages any pregnant mum to go get checked if she believes her waters have broken or if she experiences a premature rupture of the waters. Sometimes you may not have any signs like Natalie did.

Our prayers are with Natalie, her partner Josh and little Chase as he grows and gets stronger everyday. Our hope is that Natalie’s story can help any mums who have experienced a premature birth. It’s not something any mum wishes to happen to another mum, but we are so blessed with incredible medical teams who know how to help our babes grow outside their mother’s womb when they decide to arrive earlier than expected.