How a mother saved her premature baby after her waters broke at 18 weeks

Cally Hibbert (with partner Jason Clark) claims she saved her premature baby by drinking 15 pints of water each day after her waters broke at 18 weeks. Photo / Instagram

A mother claims she saved her premature baby - by drinking seven litres of water a day.

Cally Hibbert, of Ashton-under-Lyne, was told her son had a one per cent chance of survival when her waters broke at just 18 weeks.

Doctors feared she had lost too much of the protective fluid from her womb - and would almost certainly endure a fifth miscarriage.

But after stumbling across a Facebook support group, Hibbert, 27, was given hope by reading the touching stories of other mothers in similar situations.

She began to drink seven litres of water daily - seven times more than is recommended - to create more amniotic fluid for her son, the MailOnline reported.

And 10 weeks later, Leo was born at the Royal Bolton Hospital. He weighed 1lb 10oz and so was kept in hospital for three months to help him thrive.

Now, branded a "little terror" at times by his mother, Leo is healthy and is approaching his second birthday.

Figures suggest just 10 per cent of babies born after pre-term pre-labour rupture of the membranes, or PPROM, survive.

'Leo is our real-life water baby'

She first became concerned when she experienced bleeding just weeks into the pregnancy. Photo / Instagram

Speaking about her ordeal in 2016 for the first time, Hibbert, who has two other children, told the Sun: "Leo is our real-life water baby. I'm sure the water I drank saved him by helping to protect him until he was strong enough to be born. I couldn't terminate when his heart was beating."

Hibbert avoided taking photos of her bump during her pregnancy with Leo, as she feared it would tempt fate.

She had already suffered four miscarriages in the past - and became worried when she started bleeding just weeks into her pregnancy.

But at 16 weeks, the bleeding stopped, according to the Sun. Her waters broke two weeks later while she was folding washing at home.

Ms Hibbert believes the simple act of upping her water intake may have saved her baby's life. Photo / Instagram

When a pregnant woman's waters break, it is usually a sign that the unborn baby is ready to enter the world.

Most women go into labour within hours but Hibbert, who already has Oliver, 9, and Holly, 5, did not experience an early labour.

A consultant told Hibbert and her partner Jason Clark, 26, they should prepare for a miscarriage as the small amount of fluid left was not enough for him to survive.

The couple "clung to each other and cried" as they were given the news their baby would soon be gone - even though she could still feel him moving.

'Something so simple saved his life'

Ms Hibbert felt unable to terminate the pregnancy when she could feel her baby moving. Photo / Instagram

In an interview with the Sun, she said: "That's when I desperately started researching and found the advice about the water.

"It's astonishing that doctors said there was nothing they could do, yet something so simple may have saved his life."

Hibbert came across a helpful Facebook group called Little Heartbeats, which gives women information about PPROM.

She read how other mothers felt that drinking more water helped their babies survive.

The couple scoured the internet and discovered drinking more has been shown to replenish lost amniotic fluid - the liquid the baby needs to grow in the womb.

Leo was finally born in July two years ago. He was kept at the Royal Bolton Hospital until a week before his due date in October.

A spokesperson for Little Heartbeats previously said: "Many of our mums believe drinking water to replenish their amniotic fluid levels have helped.

"Many other countries, such as the US, do recommend that mum's increase their water consumption."

British doctors do not advise pregnant women whose waters break early to drink more fluid as they say there is little research to show it works.

However, in common with other websites, the US Mayo Clinic states treatment for low amniotic fluid (oligohydramnios) can include drinking more fluids to maintain a healthy level.

It is possible to temporarily increase the amount of amniotic fluid with a procedure known as amnioinfusion, in which saline is instilled into the amniotic sac.