SMILEY Sophie Perks could fit into the palm of her dad’s hand when she was born.

But Matthew Perks wasn’t allowed to hold his newborn daughter – that’s because she weighed just 1lbs 2oz when she was born prematurely at 29 weeks.

Little Sophie was just 13cm long and 5cm of that was her tiny head.

The Sheepridge 15-month-old has battled a bleed on her brain, her lungs collapsing and a cardiac arrest.

Now proud parents Matthew and Ellie Perks have spoken of their daughter’s ordeal as they thanked the team of medics at the Neonatal Unit in the Jessop Wing at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, and nominated them for an award.

It was during a routine check-up at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary when doctors said Ellie would need an emergency caesarian if their unborn baby was to survive.

Ellie, 29, of Sheepridge, explained: “My pregnancy was normal and we went to the 29-week appointment without any worries.

“They said she was very small, she was measuring what a 24-week baby would, there was reduced blood flow to the placenta and after a scan they said I’d need to give birth within 24 hours to give her the chance of living.

“It was a terrifying ordeal.”

Ellie was transferred to Calderdale Royal Hospital(CRH) in Halifax and then to a hospital in Doncaster, which had a special baby care bed, which is where Sophie was born.

Ellie, who is on a break from her job as a receptionist for the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, added: “I was told she’d been drinking the water around her and she was pressed up against the umbilical cord, but the first thing I heard when they delivered her was her crying.

“It was a good sign.”

Tiny Sophie was rushed off and put in an incubator and it was some hours before Ellie and Matthew could see her and three weeks before they could hold her.

Within hours of Sophie being born they were transferred to the Neonatal Unit in Sheffield, which the couple say saved Sophie’s life.

But the journey there wasn’t without incident. Sophie managed to de-intubate herself – by removing the tube keeping an open airway into her windpipe. The paramedics had to pull over and re-intubate her.

Sophie had a grade 4 bleed on the brain, chronic lung disease, both lungs collapsed one after the other and she had two types of jaundice.

Ellie and Matthew also saw her prepared for bowel surgery at three weeks old, only for Sophie to fill a nappy before surgery. As a result, there was no need to operate

Sophie and her parents remained at Jessops for four-and-a-half weeks before being transferred closer to home at CRH, yet her battles continued.

At 11 weeks old she had a cardiac arrest, but Ellie says Sophie “woke up smiling” afterwards.

“We went through a massive mix of emotions,” Ellie added. “We were on auto-pilot for weeks, just being there for her.”

Dad Matthew, 35, an ambulance driver, added: “It felt like we were on a rollercoaster.

“There were so many ups and downs, she was so small we didn’t know if she’d survive. There were so many tubes around her, it was hard to see her sometimes. Jessops were brilliant, we stayed there with her and the staff, other families and the unit were amazing.”

The couple have nominated Jessops for a national ‘miracle unit’ award as part of the baby charity Tommy’s annual awards.

“They were second to none and they saved Sophie’s life,” Ellie added.

Medics cannot say what impact Sophie’s conditions will have on her in the future, but at 15-months-old she’s can crawl, walk with help and is beginning to make speech sounds too.

“Sophie lives with the condition and we’re taking it one day at a time,” Ellie added.

“She is very cheeky and smiley, she wakes up in the morning with a smile on her face.

“She doesn’t seem bothered by what’s happened and I wonder sometimes why I worry so much when she doesn’t.

“Because she’s so vulnerable to illnesses we have to keep her away from big groups and other children, but she’s doing so well.”

Proud dad Matthew looks forward to going home from work every day and Sophie’s smile is the sight that welcomes him.

He added: “When she was born she could fit on the palm of my hand, that’s how small she was.

“Seeing her smile as I come through the door from work means the world.”

ABOUT 7,000 babies are born in the Jessop Wing at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, every year and Sophie Perks was one of the smallest.

Sophie weighed just 1lbs 2oz when she was born 15 months ago.

Her mother, Ellie Perks, was being treated at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary before complications arose at 29 weeks.

She was transferred to Calderdale Royal Hospital (inset) before a bed and incubator could be found in a special care baby unit in Doncaster, where Sophie was born.

Within hours they were transferred by Embrace, a critical care transport service, to the Neonatal Unit in the Jessop Wing at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, where Sophie, Matthew and Ellie remained for more than four weeks.

It is the Sheffield unit which the Sheepridge couple have nominated for an award – the ‘Miracle Unit’ award as part of the baby charity Tommy’s Baby-friendly Awards.

Ellie said: “I was told by the hospital that delivered her that she wouldn’t live but she was transferred to Jessop’s and they were fantastic.

“The doctors and nurses went above and beyond to help us get through the first four weeks of Sophie’s life; always taking the time to explain in detail the problems with Sophie, and even gave us a room on the unit so we could stay with her at all times.

“They are the people that saved my daughter’s life.

“They truly are miracle workers and if it wasn't for their skill and determination Sophie wouldn't be alive today.

“She still has various medical problems and her future is not certain because of the bleed on her brain, but we tackle each day as it comes and together we get through any problem that arises.”

Matthew added: “The staff became like family, but the whole unit was brilliant, even the other parents who had been through what we had gave us advice.

“We found ourselves doing that when Sophie got a bit older and new families arrived.”

The award aims to recognise those that have suffered through a pregnancy complication and the medical professionals, and family who have helped them.

Nominations for the 2013 Awards are open until December 2012. For information visit www.bounty.com/tommys-awards2013.

All the award winners will be invited to a star-studded awards ceremony in London on March 22 next year.

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