Family share ‘miracle’ journey of baby born at 22 weeks

A Melksham family have shared their daughter’s remarkable journey after she was born at just 22 weeks and is now thriving.

Feebee Slater was born in October 2024 at the Royal United Hospital in Bath (RUH) and spent five and a half months in neonatal intensive care (NICU) in Bristol.

Now 18 months old, Feebee is at home and thriving. Her family said the journey has been “overwhelming” and thanked nursing staff for the care provided.

Feebee’s mum Karla said, “We just want to thank the people that cared for her, but nothing seems good enough. What goes on behind those walls is just incredible. The staff are so underpaid and understaffed.”

When Feebee was born, she weighed around 450 grams/one pound (the equivalent of about half a loaf of bread). She was given oxygen and underwent an operation to have a stoma bag fitted following a perforated bowel.

Karla said, “The consultant told us that when a baby is born at 22 weeks, they are deemed ‘non-viable’ and receive only ‘survival-focused’ care. Whatever they did to care for her worked because now she is at home and is fine and the stoma bag has been removed.”

During Feebee’s treatment, the family stayed in a shared house opposite the hospital funded by charity Cots for Tots, where they made bonds with other families of children in NICU.

Karla said, “This was an absolute lifeline and we made a couple of friends with people going through a similar thing.”

As an IVF-conceived baby, Karla said Feebee is a “miracle” and the family are still coming to terms with their experience.

Karla said, “If you were to run off the statistics of her journey so far, she shouldn’t be here. She was the only egg in IVF and it worked first time. We had no other chances.

“When I was in NICU, I completely lost my mind in there. I am starting to enjoy her and relax a little bit more because there are no more oxygen tanks in the house or medical appointments.

“I can just sit and watch her for hours, it’s just incredible.”

Feebee’s grandmother, Stevie Cooke, has called for greater recognition of babies born at 22 weeks after the family say they were told they may only be offered comfort care.

She said, “Our miracle was worth saving and has proven that these babies are viable.”