Four year old Ivy is a feisty little girl. She was born having to fight to stay alive at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St. Boniface Hospital.
Ivy’s mother Beckey McGonigal was 30 weeks pregnant when she began severely bleeding.
Beckey had a high-risk pregnancy. At around four or five months she was diagnosed with placenta previa — a condition that occurs when the placenta partially or completely covers the mother’s cervix – and put on bed-rest.
Beckey was losing a lot of blood and rushed to hospital by ambulance.
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She was whisked into surgery for an emergency c-section.
“They said you’re having your baby today,” said Beckey.
As soon as Ivy was born, the tiny three-pounds-nine-ounce little girl was taken to NICU where she stayed for six weeks.
“The first time seeing her with the tubes, that was really hard,” Beckey said.
From the very beginning, Beckey was told that Ivy was feisty, which for preemies was a very good quality.
“That’s what got her through those hard days.”
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While in NICU Ivy had to learn to suck, breathe and swallow. She was monitored constantly by the medical team at St. Boniface Hospital.
“There’s so many different aspects to that NICU,” Beckey said.
“You think of maybe just the doctors, but there’s the nurses, the social workers, the cuddlers.”
“There’s just so many people and each person has such an impact on your life.”
Ivy left the hospital weighing just over five pounds. Today, the four year old is thriving. She’s in the 97th percentile for height.
“It’s just unbelievable. You’d never know she was a preemie,” Beckey said.
She’s sharing Ivy’s story as a way to support St. Boniface Hospital, which Beckey says helped save both of their lives.
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Find out how you can support the St. Boniface Hospital Foundation.