On 19th March 2017, our beautiful Eva lost her battle with prematurity. Eva suddenly fell very poorly with Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC), where the intestine becomes inflamed and begins to die. NEC is much more common in premature babies. Of the babies who get this cruel condition, around 50% will lose their lives before or after surgery. Despite the technology we have today, there is still so much to learn about NEC and what truly causes it and more importantly, what can prevent it and save lives.
Nothing will ever make it ok, our family will always have something missing but we will always remember our strong, brave baby girl and everything she was and achieved in her short 5 1/2 weeks in the world. We are now looking to set up a trust in Eva’s name to help others who go through the unimaginable journey of having a preemie.
We are working through establishing a trust but first must do our research into what needed and reflect on what would have supported us more during our 11 weeks in hospital and the coming months when we start coming to terms with what has happened. We would be so very grateful if you could spare a few pennies towards what will be Eva’s trust.
Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC)
Necrotising Enterocolitis is a serious disease that can affect premature babies and very newborn infants. The disease causes necrosis of the cells and tissue in the intestines which as a result become inflamed. In severe cases, NEC causes an inflammatory response throughout the body, leading to septicemia.
Babies born before 32 weeks gestation or with a birth weight of less than 1500g are at most risk of developing NEC. It is rare for babies born at term to develop the disease but in these cases there are often other medical problems. As the survival rate of those born extremely prematurely improves, NEC becomes more of a risk.
Despite the advances in medicine, the morbidity and mortality outcomes for those who develop NEC have not improved over decades. The causes of NEC are still not fully understood and it remains a complex and unpredictable disease. Breast Milk is thought to provide some protection against NEC as it contains a range of beneficiary components.
Treatment of NEC depends on severity, in mild and moderate cases, most babies will recover with no complications. Around 1 in 4 babies diagnosed will require surgical intervention. Babies who require surgery have a higher rate of mortality or morbidity.
