Our Miracle, Hayley
SANDTON – Miracle baby Hayley Meyer is only 25 weeks old and weighs 650 grams. Her parents believe that she is a warrior who will inspire others to have courage.
Hayley Meyer is 25 weeks and four days old and weighs 650 grams.
Her father, Pieter Meyer said, “She is our warrior princess, miracle baby.” A Facebook page entitled, A Test of Faith, has been set up to urge the community to pray for Hayley because her parents believe that prayer can help their premature baby survive.
This Facebook page includes daily updates, quotes and photographs, and people from all over South Africa, including residents in the Sandton area, have liked and shared this page.
Since 4 April, Hayley and her brave mother, Nicole, have been at Clinton Hospital in Alberton. Although Nicole has since been discharged from the hospital, Hayley remains in ICU. Pieter said, “This is bittersweet because although my wife has been discharged, our little miracle baby still remains at the hospital.” Pieter added that their medical aid did not permit his wife to stay in the hospital for longer than that.
Sandton-based occupational therapist, Bev Hewson, explained the revolutionary steps that hospitals are taking with premature babies.
“Medical professionals preserve the developmental space of premature babies in order to respect the gift of the womb that the baby did not receive for long enough,” she said. “Everything from the sleep patterns of the baby to the lighting of the room is thought out to mimic the womb. The approach of hospitals is no longer only medical.” She further explained that premature babies were even nursed in the foetal position when they were in ICU.
Hayley is very special to her parents because she is their first-born baby. Pieter expressed his pride in his little girl when he said, “Hayley is flying, she is beyond exceptional. The doctors cannot believe how strong she is. “There are a few blood results that are a bit high or below perfection. We are all amazed by our little fighter’s strength and how she is responding. Let me tell you, little miss Hayley Meyer is changing lives just by being here.”
Pieter continued by saying that dynamite came in small packages and that it was their miracle baby that kept them going. He added that the love around his family had given them an exceptional amount of strength. “We cannot wait for Hayley to grow up so that we can tell her how she brought millions together in prayer.”
