A baby boy who spent last year’s festive period in hospital will get to enjoy his first Christmas at home in 2022 — and his parents want to thank the staff and charity who supported the family.
Sam Whalley and her husband Craig welcomed Killian into the world at Scunthorpe General Hospital on November 12, 2021 and all appeared fine until their new baby started struggling to keep feeds down.
Killian’s mum said this went on for several weeks and as it something not uncommon with newborns, she wasn’t too concerned at the time.
However, when Killian started to projectile vomit, the worried parents believed there could be something more serious happening as he was getting worse and underweight.
The baby boy was rushed to hospital in Scunthorpe, where a diagnosis of pyloric stenosis was confirmed. He was then sent to Sheffield Children’s Hospital to receive specialist treatment.
Killian had an operation on his stomach on Boxing Day last year and, after making a full recovery, he and his family are now looking forward to spending Christmas at home in 2022.
Baby Killian with his parents Sam and Craig in hospital.
Killian’s mum Sam said: “We explained what had been going on to the doctor but were told several times that it wasn’t anything to worry about.
“Two weeks later, when the health visitor came back to check on us, they noticed how underweight Killian was. He was clearly bringing back more than he was keeping down.
“The vomiting continued and Killian was particularly bad on Christmas Eve, so we decided to take him to the doctors again.
“Following some examinations and hearing about our past visits, the doctor thought Killian could have a condition call pyloric stenosis. This causes the gap between the stomach and the intestine to be a lot smaller than normal, preventing food from passing from the stomach correctly.
“He informed us that Killian urgently needed to go to hospital for treatment. We rushed him over to Scunthorpe Hospital where they confirmed the diagnosis, with arrangements soon made for us to go Sheffield Children’s Hospital where he could receive specialist treatment.”
Baby Killian with his dad Craig in hospital.
Sam said that during the trip from Scunthorpe to Sheffield they had no idea what to expect when they got there, especially with it being Christmas Eve. While Killian was admitted to the ward, they were given accommodation at the hospital.
It wasn’t long before Sam and Craig were informed that Killian was going to need surgery to remove some of the tissue that was blocking his food, opening the gap in his stomach.
Proud mum Sam with her son Killian who has now made a full recovery from his surgery. | Photo: The Sick Children’s Trust
Sam said: “He was only a couple of weeks old when all of this was happening and, with Killian being our first child, I was completely panicking. Doctors kept coming in telling us lots of different things such as the treatment he would need and how the surgery would work. But for me, all I wanted to hear was that he was going to be ok.”
With the surgery not scheduled until Boxing Day last year, they knew they wouldn’t be able to return home for a few days and they were “dreading Christmas morning”. “Rather than it being this great celebration, we were in hospital worrying about our son,” Sam said.
“However, the next day there were presents at the end of Killian’s bed and Santa Claus came around to see all the children on the ward, thanks to the amazing hospital staff,” she added. “Because of that, we made the best of the day.”
Baby Killian in hospital with Santa (left) and with presents at the end of his bed (right).
As the couple were unable to stay in the hospital accommodation long term, they needed to book into a hotel for the next two nights. The closest they could get at short notice was 20 minutes away, which Sam said is “too far away when your child is in hospital. All I want is to be right by their side.”
When they went to see Killian the morning after his successful surgery, the nursing staff told them they had managed to arrange a place to stay close to the hospital called Magnolia House.
Magnolia House is a ‘Home from Home’ located right next to the hospital and meant Killian’s parents were only a two minute walk from his beside. Magnolia House is run by The Sick Children’s Trust, which supports families with a place to stay completely free of charge.
What a lovely smile from baby Killian, who will enjoy his first Christmas at home this year.
Sam said: “Magnolia House allowed me and Craig to always be there for Killian. We could support each other without having to worry about how we would get back to his side in an emergency.
“We no longer had to make the 20-minute drive from the hotel, which staying in was also costing a fortune. The sanctuary provided by Magnolia House meant we could take our minds off things and get some rest.
“Being honest, the whole time we were in the hotel I didn’t sleep properly because I was so worried about not being able to get to Killian’s side if he needed us. In fact, I hadn’t slept well for weeks, since he started being so ill.
“Killian has always been a quiet baby, even while being sick. That put me on high state of alert at night – I didn’t want to miss him being ill and not be able to help him. At Magnolia House I was finally able to get a bit of rest.”
Killian was monitored for two days while he recovered. He continued to improve and kept more food down before the family were allowed to return home on December 28.
Killian with his dad Craig and mum Sam.
Sam added: “He’s been doing brilliantly since, taking all his food just fine and putting on weight. He’s massive now and he’s absolutely perfect!
“All he has is a little scar on his belly button which you’d never notice if you didn’t know it was there. He’s the happiest baby ever and we’re really looking forward to spending Christmas at home this year with Everley and the rest of the family.
“We’ll never forget the support we received from Sheffield Children’s Hospital and The Sick Children’s Trust.”
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Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
New Play Video Feed: Dive into a dynamic video feed that brings local stories to life in a whole new way.
Enhanced In-App Browser: Access external links quickly and efficiently, right from the app, without any distractions.
Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
P.S.: Start your MyLocal membership today to support MyLocal and The Lincolnite deliver you a better local news experience and honest journalism from across Lincolnshire.
P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!