By Ethan Benedicto
Energetic, playful and full of joy, it would be difficult for anyone to say that three-year-old Shiloh was born prematurely at just 23 weeks and one day in her parents’ bathroom.
It was a fight for life, but a defiance of all odds that led to the family’s triumph, and Shiloh’s more than active lifestyle.
Shaun, Shiloh’s father and Adelyn’s husband, said that it had been around midnight when they were discharged from the hospital after unusual pains, however, it was that same night that Adelyn gave birth in their bathroom.
“She gave birth by herself, and then she called out to me and then I ran down the hallway,” Shaun said.
“When I came around the corner, Adelyn and Shiloh were there, she was born, and they were both staring back at me.
“We called triple zero and it was a long wait for help, it was probably half an hour that we were on our own.”
With her new-born daughter in her hands and help still some time away, Adelyn’s expertise as an ICU nurse took over.
“I knew something wasn’t right, Shiloh was breathing but struggling; I kept the umbilical cord attached for perfusion and started performing CPR with one hand while my husband provided breaths – we were desperately needing help,” Adelyn said.
First on the scene was Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) paramedic Shannan O’Leary-Colliver, a scene which she recalled was challenging and emotional.
“When we arrived, it was clear that every second mattered, a baby born this prematurely in a home environment faces enormous challenges,” Shannan said.
Shaun, recalling the moment that Shannan and other MICA paramedics arrived, said that “they don’t really know what to do with babies that size, because they just don’t survive”.
Shannon said that from the beginning, it was “apparent that Shiloh needed urgent specialist care”.
“Due to her prematurity, providing pre-hospital care was a significant challenge, so we immediately contacted the Paediatric Infant Perinatal Emergency Retrieval (PIPER) team, and worked as a team to stabilise her for transport.”
Fire Rescue Victoria crews were also at the scene to assist, with the specialised PIPER team offering critical guidance over the phone before taking over care at Casey Hospital.
Shaun recalled that a switch of hospitals was needed to the Monash Children’s Hospital, but thankfully, Shiloh was intubated and stabilised before the transport.
Shiloh spent the next five months in the neonatal intensive care unit, but before that, Shaun said that when she stabilised at five in the morning, he just “sat there and watched her monitor”.
“At 10am, Adelyn was transferred over, and we were together as a family again.
“It makes me super emotional, and even the smallest things with Shiloh right now are such huge milestones for her because the odds that were given to her on the first night were really bad.”
He said that initially he thought that even if Shiloh were to survive, that her quality of life would have been diminished, but “for her to be perfectly healthy, to be discharged from medical care and just develop, it makes me proud”.
Associate professor and director of PIPER, Michael Stewart, said that “it was an incredible job by the paramedics”.
”We know babies born at 23 weeks can survive, but the circumstances of birth play a huge role in their outcome,” he said.
FRV senior station officer Kevin Ruys recalled the moment when they arrived, saying that they “walked into an incredibly intense situation”.
“Shiloh was so tiny; the paramedics were doing everything they could to keep her alive.
”We ensured the baby was kept warm and assisted paramedics with the medical response, but it was clear how critical this moment was for Shiloh’s survival.”
At three years young, Shiloh is now part of a gymnastics program called Spartan, loves reading books, riding bikes and doing “everything a little girl her age should be doing”.
“Adelyn and I, we do a lot with her, and it’s almost like therapy for us where it would be normal for others.
“I couldn’t be more proud of her, or anything in my life; and I’ve never cried before I had her, you know.
“But the number of times she’s brought me to tears – in a good way – is amazing,” Shaun said.
