“We had Heidi and Connor christened the day after they were born because we didn’t think Heidi would make it. “

Sheree Walsh

When Sheree Walsh gave birth to her twins Heidi and Connor in 2017, it was the beginning of an experience that would test the very physical and emotional limits of both Sheree and husband Graeme.



Born at just 25 weeks gestation and weighing just a combined 1250 grams, the twins would be classed as micropreemies.



Sheree only realised she was at risk of a preterm birth after she had concerns over a lack of movement and went to the hospital for a check-up.



In an ultrasound she could see both babies moving and was temporarily relieved, until the doctor told her to immediately pack her bags to be admitted to the hospital for bed rest at 24 weeks.



“I didn’t really know what was happening as I could still feel the babies. But unfortunately my cervix had shortened so much that it was deemed a risk for me to remain off bed rest,” Sheree said.



The length of a woman’s cervix in mid-pregnancy is a strong predictor of her risk of preterm birth and one of the seven key strategies to prevent preterm and early term birth.



It was just one week later that Sheree went into spontaneous labour in the antenatal ward with doctors expecting the preterm birth to be due to an incompetent cervix.



“We had Heidi and Connor christened the day after they were born because we didn’t think Heidi would make it. She was so unwell and required a large amount of intervention,” Sheree recalled.



Tragically Connor passed away after 10 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).



“The stay following was difficult as you are celebrating one twin whist grieving for the other. We were very lucky to have had a very supportive team in the hospital to help us.”



Before delivering her twins, Sheree had not heard of a NICU and was yet to attend birth classes.



Heidi would spend 147 days in the NICU and Special Care Nursery before being able to go home.



Heidi would experience and overcome a number of hurdles during her stay including retinopathy of prematurity requiring laser treatment at 10 weeks, neonatal diabetes, thyroid issues, chronic lung disease due to her extreme early birth.



“It really is a rollercoaster ride, you have great days then some really difficult days and sometimes these are all on the same day,” Sheree reflects.



“A premature birth is something that you’re not prepared for, it was overwhelming and scary. With many parents of premmies, their relationship doesn’t survive, but we were really lucky because we were there for each other and we had strong support from our family and friends.”



Now seven years old, Heidi is vibrant and energetic, and to her parents she’s “a total miracle”.



“Heidi has very limited core strength, however it doesn’t stop her. She is the most resilient, social and strongest child I’ve ever come across. She is also caring and willing to give anything a try” Ms Walsh said.



In mid-2021, Sheree and Graeme would fall pregnant again and would come under the care of the Hospital’s preterm birth prevention clinic.



“As expected, I was incredibly nervous during this pregnancy wondering when if I would make it to term or if I would be having another preterm birth,” she said.



Using strategies from the Alliance and Every Week Counts Collaborative, the family would welcome Rory born at full term, much to Sheree’s delight and that of the team of dedicated midwives.



“I absolutely believe that being able to go to term with Rory was due to the extra monitoring and treatments I received under the Every Week Counts program.”



Sheree’s story is more than a personal story of resilience but a testament to the impactful work of the Every Week Counts National Preterm Birth Prevention Collaborative. Through the Collaborative, Australia is pioneering a national program to reduce preterm birth rates, offering hope to the 26,000 families who face this challenge every year.



The Commonwealth-funded national program Every Week Counts is a joint collaborative between the Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance, Women’s Healthcare Australasia, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Safer Care Victoria, and the Women and Infants Research Foundation.