Joshua is now 12 weeks old and perfect in every way. I had a normal pregnancy until the 31 st week, when I seemed to be coming down with a stomach bug. After a day I saw the midwife, who checked my blood pressure and said it was fine, so there seemed no cause to worry. Two days later I was very weak and not improving, so the doctor made a home visit. By this time my blood pressure was very high and there were other factors suggesting all was not well.

I went into the RUH where they took samples of blood among all the other monitoring they did, and it seemed that I would have to stay in for a while. At first it seemed to be the start of pre-eclampsia, a random and serious condition of pregnancy. However, the blood test revealed HELLP (Haemolysis Elevated Liver Low Platelet) syndrome, which is relatively rare and can be fatal. The damage to platelets meant that I could haemorrhage uncontrollably, and liver function and kidneys were poor. The doctors knew that they couldn't wait even for a few hours, so it would be Caesarian section then and there under a general anaesthetic. I was terrified that I would never wake up.

Wonderfully, the right platelet serum was available in Bristol , so they 'blue-lighted' it over and canulated it. Instead of a general anaesthetic I could have a spinal block, and my mum could be with me for the birth. (I have a wonderful husband, but we had agreed that it would do neither of us any good for him to be there!) So Joshua was delivered on 1 st March, two months before he was due, weighing 3lb 6oz.

I didn't see him until the following day. I stayed in hospital for a week, during which I was able to feed him and see him, but then I had to go home. Leaving Joshua was the hardest thing I've ever done, and I felt really guilty, but knew in my heart he was safe in NICU and receiving the most loving care.

The staff are amazing, welcoming, encouraging and helpful, teaching you everything you need to know about bathing, feeding and managing a very tiny baby. They are very special people, and the team-work is really fantastic. Joshua got into a wonderful routine, which continues to this day, and he remains a contented baby.

He was only briefly a high-dependency baby, and made such good progress that he came home when he was 5 weeks old - 4 weeks before he would have arrived. I have nothing but praise for the staff of NICU and really want them to have a working space that is as good as it can be rather than the cramped conditions they currently perform their miracles in