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Dad’s career change inspired by care

Life-changing neonatal care at Heartlands Hospital not only saved the life of Lily-Louise Parry, but inspired her dad, Richard to leave his job as a betting shop manager and retrain as a paediatric nurse.

In 2017, Richard Parry’s wife Kate had a typical pregnancy until her 27-week scan. Kate said: “My pregnancy was completely normal until then. I went for a regular growth scan, and I could just tell something was wrong. The sonographer was silent, and we were sent to Heartlands Hospital, where our baby was diagnosed with hydrops.”

Hydrops fetalis is a life-threatening condition causing fluid build-up in a baby’s body. “We were told she had less than a 5% chance of survival and might not make it through the weekend,” Kate said.

Kate underwent two shunt procedures to drain fluid and had frequent scans to monitor progress. At 29 weeks, she was then diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. 

Kate said: “It became a balancing act between my health and my baby’s. We tried to keep her in until 37 weeks with blood pressure medication and bed rest.”

However, at 32 weeks and four days, a scan revealed flow to the umbilical cord had stopped, the placenta was enlarged and, and the fluid was returning. Kate’s pre-eclampsia worsened, and Lily-Louise’s heart-rate dropped leading to an emergency c-section. Lily-Louise was born weighing just two pounds, 14 ounces.

Lily-Louise then spent over 12 weeks in the Neonatal Unit where teams provided vital care and support. Richard said: “They didn’t just care for Lily-Louise, they cared for us too. The nurses helped us feel like parents despite the tubes and wires. They celebrated every achievement and milestone with us and explained everything patiently.”

“I had previously worked in healthcare and wanted to ger back into it, but I wasn’t sure about nursing and was working as a betting shop manager at the time. After a few weeks on the unit, I realised, ‘I want to do this.’ The team provided amazing care and made the worst time of our lives bearable, and I wanted to support other families in the same way.”

Richard began an access-to-health course, achieving outstanding results, before earning a first-class degree in paediatric nursing from Birmingham City University.  Since qualifying, Richard has worked in paediatric roles at Heartlands Hospital, including the Neonatal Community Outreach Team and now works with the Diabetes Team. 

Richard said: “Working alongside those who inspired me was surreal; they felt like super heroes to me. In all the roles I've had since qualifying, I have been working with families with sick children or children requiring long-term support. Each time I meet a family for the first time, I remember that feeling of fear and uncertainty and bear that in mind when supporting them.”

Today, Lily-Louise is thriving and about to turn eight. “She’s our miracle,” Kate said. “Without her, we wouldn’t have her sister or the life we have now. The neonatal staff fought for her and with us every step of the way.”