Lauren Middleton of Leeds, England, didn't have any reason to believe her pregnancy would be out of the ordinary. So when her water suddenly broke much earlier than expected, she was surprised, but assumed her baby would be born soon after and would potentially be dealing with health issues as a preemie. Except get this: It took a whopping 10 more weeks for Middleton to give birth to her son Archie, who she's now calling her "miracle."
According to Middleton, the incredible birth story started when she was just 26 weeks pregnant.
The 24-year-old mom was no stranger to pregnancy, she recently told SWNS — she already has a 3-year-old daughter, Ruby. So when she she stood up from the toilet and felt the rush of her water breaking, she knew it could be serious.
But she was still taken aback after rushing to the doctor's office and learning her water had broken so early on in her pregnancy. "I was so shocked, I really didn't think my waters had broken," she recalled. "I was really scared when I heard because it was so early in the pregnancy and my baby was so tiny. I knew straight away he was in danger of serious harm."
Middleton's doctors quickly made the decision to work to prolong her giving birth for as long as possible, so that her son would have more time to grow.
Still, doctors and Middleton had no way of predicting just long this would go on for.
After three days spent in the hospital, she was finally sent home, but was required to come back to Leeds General Infirmary for periodic checkups.
"It was an incredibly stressful situation, because I was worried about the baby's health the whole time," she recalled. "I was in and out of hospital constantly, having that many checks isn't normal but I knew were vital for the baby."
At 34 weeks, Middleton was examined and declared in perfect health after testing. Her doctors then decided to leave the mom-to-be alone until 37 weeks, when she would be considered full term.
However, baby Archie had other plans again.
At 35 weeks, Middleton started to have contractions and was rushed to St. James's Hospital to give birth.
Little Archie finally arrived on October 18, after a 21-hour labor his mother described as "really traumatic and very painful."
Unfortunately, his difficult birth wasn't the end of his troubles, either. Archie was having difficulty breathing, so doctors ordered him to the NICU where he could be treated and watched. While there, Archie was first diagnosed with pneumonia and then sepsis, which left his parents terrified that he wouldn't survive.
"One minute we were having cuddles and everything was fine, and the next minute he was gone," Middleton recalled.
Luckily, a quick round of antibiotics helped Archie quickly recover.
The boy was allowed to go home October 25, where he met the rest of his family, including his grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
His mom is beyond grateful for his recovery and added that she gives complete credit to the amazing doctors and nurses who cared for her son.
"The NHS have been unbelievable. I can't thank them enough," she shared. "If it wasn't for their amazing work who knows what would have happened to Archie."
Middleton also explained that the connection she's felt for the people who helped her son live has grown even stronger after her ordeal. "I genuinely love all the nurses; they're more like family now."
Now that the family is back home and together again, Middleton added that Archie's big sister Ruby has taken over where the medical staff left off — now, it's Rube who sweetly watches over her little brother like a hawk. (How adorable is that?!)
