Premature tot behind mum's NHS fundraising
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BEING born during a global pandemic might be stressful enough for most people, but little Finley Sinclair decided to arrive two months early to complicate matters.
With his heart rate weak, a lethargic Finley was delivered by emergency c-section at Dr Gray's Hospital - a rare occurence for the maternity unit there - and blue-lighted to neonatal care in Aberdeen within an hour.
Anxious mum Ellie Toogood (24) had to recover from her surgery so it was six hours before she could join her newborn, who weighed just 3lbs.
With big brother Lyle, who will be two in April, looked after by grandparents, proud dad Shawn (25) had made the birth in the nick of time.
"At a check up Finley wasn't moving and his heart rate was really low, so they decided he had to come out," recalled Ellie, of New Elgin.
"Finley was taken through to Aberdeen within the first hour of being born. I didn't get to see him properly until the following day.
"He was tiny but during his month in hospital he was a little monkey and kept pulling his oxygen face mask off. He was tube fed for three and a half weeks."
It's fair to say Finley, who was born on June 23 during the first lockdown, is thriving and still a little monkey, and before Christmas weighed 15lbs 14oz, and is a bundle of fun and mischief.
Ellie was able to stay in accommodation close to the neonatal unit and paid tribute to the staff.
"They were amazing, all the doctors, nurses and staff," she said.
Not everything in the ward is funded through the NHS, including bigger incubators, breast pumps and tea, coffee and snacks for parents.
Ellie, a receptionist at Miller and Swann vet practice, decided she wanted to say thank you to the neonatal team and support other parents in a similar situation.
"I thought about climbing a mountain but that wasn't going to happen and then I saw a challenge to run 50 miles in January."
She enlisted the help of mum Sophie Mullen (41), who lives in Lossiemouth, and mother in law Sandra Sinclair (48), who is also in New Elgin.
With lockdown restrictions they have each run the 50 miles separately, while motivating each other through regular social media catch ups.
They have raised £1500, smashing their original target of £500. You can still support them by searching for 'Ellie's 50 miles in January' on JustGiving.
