Scottish family keeping bedside vigil after baby born 15 weeks early on holiday

Scottish parents whose baby arrived 15 weeks early while on holiday in Blackpool, face months of waiting by her bedside as she grows strong enough to travel back home.

Parents Jenna Lauder, 36, and Gary Gibson, 37, from Stirling, were enjoying a break in the English seaside town when Jenna suddenly went in to labour, reports The Daily Record.

Hope was born at 6pm on Tuesday, July 2. The tot weighed just 2 lbs 1 oz and was immediately moved to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Preston.

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Hope now has a stage two bilateral bleed on her brain but is otherwise stable and responding well to treatment.

She began having small amounts of milk on Tuesday, July 9, and was able to share her first cuddle with her mum on Wednesday.

Jenna, Gary and their son Vinnie, aged two, must now stay at Hope’s side in Preston as they wait for doctors’ approval to travel back home, which should be around the time of her due date in October.

Jenna, a stay-at-home mum, is originally from Deanston, whilst Gary, who runs his own construction firm, hails from Callander.

An online fundraiser was set up to help towards the financial burden of spending time living near the hospital in Preston with costs adding even more stress to an already tough situation.

Gary said: “Our new daughter Hope is fighting for her place in this world, and we will be by her side every step of the way.

“We would like to thank everyone that’s been so supportive and generous at this difficult time. And special thanks to the NHS staff in Blackpool and Preston who have been brilliant.”

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Gary’s sister, Julie, set up a Go Fund Me page to request some help from back home.

She set the target at £5,000, and at the time of print, the Stirling community had rallied together to raise a whopping £5,340.

Hope’s aunt Julie said: “While there is not much that any of us can do to help, except wait for baby Hope to grow stronger, we can help to ease the financial burden which they face.

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“I know times are hard for everyone, but I would greatly appreciate any amount that you might be able to donate to Gary, Jenna, Vinnie and Hope to provide at least a small amount of financial relief.”

The family travelled to Blackpool for their summer holiday on Saturday June 29.

Jenna – who was just 25 weeks pregnant – began to experience some bleeding and cramps and rushed to A&E at Blackpool Hospital where it was confirmed that she was in early labour. She was then given medication to speed up the development of Hope’s vital organs and offer as much protection as possible – Hope was then born at 6pm that evening.

Gary added: “This year has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Thankfully we have a good support network around us.”

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