Couple's fourth premature baby

Jeremy and Jade Braddock and their 17-month-old daughter Annabelle, who was born prematurely at 26 weeks. Photo / NZME

It was almost a month before Palmerston North parents Jade and Jeremy Braddock were allowed to hold their premature baby girl.

Annabelle, now a 17-month-old toddler, was born at 26 weeks with serious health issues. And it wasn't the first time the Braddocks had a baby scare - Annabelle was their fourth child born prematurely.

The couple shared their experiences to mark World Prematurity Day yesterday. Premature babies are classed as those born before 37 weeks.

Mrs Braddock says she cannot describe the fear of Annabelle's early delivery. She was heading to Palmerston North Hospital after feeling a "weird" pain but, within two hours, was flown to Wellington Hospital's delivery suite.

Staff worked to keep Annabelle from arriving early but medication could not stop her from being born on June 25 last year.

"No words can describe the fear I felt that day - fear for my baby and fear for a repeat of my prior delivery."

Annabelle was delivered by caesarean section and was the first of Mrs Braddock's four children to cry immediately after birth.

"None of my other children cried. Tears of relief filled my eyes. Right away I knew she was a fighter."

Annabelle spent the next six weeks in the neonatal Intensive care unit. She had underdeveloped lungs and a congenital heart defect, and was starved for 10 days because of a swollen bowel.

Finally, when Annabelle was three weeks old, her mother was given the chance to hold her in her arms outside the incubator.

"At first she really didn't seem to like it ... She was at least one month old before I could hold her and she seemed comfortable."

Mrs Braddock hoped sharing her story would give other families something positive to hold on to.

A premature baby is born every 90 minutes on average in New Zealand and 15 million are born worldwide every year.