A one-day-old baby who turned blue and stopped breathing after battling a trio of life-threatening illnesses was saved by an off-duty midwife.
Single mother-of-two Nicole Tierney, 27, who was discharged just one day after giving birth in hospital, messaged midwife Nicky Hennell, 47, after becoming increasingly concerned by her son Austin’s, now one, blood and mucus-streaked vomit.
Rushing over in her free time, Ms Hennell, who now lives in Cheltenham, managed to get Austin breathing again after performing CPR on the newborn for 10 minutes.
After being taken to hospital, where he stayed for six weeks, the youngster was diagnosed with meningitis, sepsis and a severe Group B Strep infection.
Despite spending five days in intensive care, with Ms Tierney, from Gloucester, being told Austin had a 50 per cent chance of developing a disability, the healthy baby is now home.
Now a firm family friend, Ms Hennell, who baked a birthday cake for Austin and even read a poem at his naming ceremony, credits Ms Tierney’s fast-acting maternal instincts for saving her son’s life.
Ms Tierney, who is studying advertising at the University of Gloucestershire, is speaking out to raise awareness of Group B Strep in newborns and encourage the NHS to routinely test pregnant women for the bacteria.
Austin Tierney, now one, who turned blue and stopped breathing at just one-day-old after battling a trio of life-threatening illnesses was saved by the off-duty midwife Nicky Hennell (left), 47, who his panicked mother Nicole Tierney (right), 27, messaged for help
Ms Tierney was concerned when her newborn was discharged despite vomiting blood
‘If I hadn’t turned up, it would have been a very different story’
Ms Tierney, who described the moment Austin stopped breathing as the worst of her life, felt something was not right when doctors discharged her from hospital just one day after giving birth.
Speaking of calling on Ms Hennell for help, Ms Tierney said: ‘I messaged Nicky and she came over right away in her free time, even though it is not really her job.
‘As she arrived he stopped breathing.
‘I was screaming and running round the room. It was terrifying. I had to turn away.’
Ms Hennell, who also helped deliver Ms Tierney’s daughter Mia two years ago, managed to get the youngster breathing, saying: ‘It was the first time I had to do CPR on a baby in someone’s home and without another midwife there.
‘The training kicked in, and I knew what I had to do. I was trying to reassure Nicole as much as I could.
‘He is very lucky. If hadn’t turned up when I did, it would have been a very different story.’
Ms Tierney credits the ‘extraordinary’ Ms Hennell for staying calm and taking control of the situation.
However, the midwife argued: ‘The fact he is alive today isn’t just down to me.
‘Nicole’s instincts as a mum were amazing, realising something wasn’t right.’
Rushing over in her free time, Ms Hennell managed to get Austin breathing again after performing CPR on the newborn for 10 minutes. He was suffering from multiple infections
While the youngster recovered in intensive care for five days and spent a total of six weeks in hospital, Ms Tierney says she was not living but merely existing
Now the pair are friends for life, with Ms Hennell even speaking at Austin’s naming ceremony
Friends for life
While enduring the weeks of Austin’s recovery, Ms Tierney said she was not living, but merely existing in a world that was reduced to the hospital.
Throughout Austin’s traumatic recovery, Ms Tierney claims Ms Hennell was always checking in to make sure everything was alright.
Ms Hennell was also often on hand to have a cup of tea and a chat with Ms Tierney, who used to battle loneliness after moving to Gloucestershire from Oxfordshire by herself.
She said: ‘It was lovely to have her support through that time.
‘She is a very patient person about what she does. She cares over and above.’
Difficult pregnancy
Although the majority of Ms Tierney’s pregnancy went to plan, she became extremely unwell during her 34th week.
Despite thinking she was going to give birth prematurely, she managed to recover and have a normal, full-term labour.
Austin was born at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on February 5 2017.