Bo-Deene Stephens and her sons Souljah [centre], Sovereign [left] and Sire are getting ready to celebrate Christmas and Souljah’s eighth birthday. Photo / Jenny Ling
Bo-Deene Stephens and her sons Souljah [centre], Sovereign [left] and Sire are getting ready to celebrate Christmas and Souljah’s eighth birthday. Photo / Jenny Ling
Northland mum Bo-Deene Stephens counts her blessings every day that she has not one but two beautiful “miracle babies” who survived the odds after being born four months premature.
The Kaikohe beauty therapist and hip-hop dancer featured in the Northern Advocate in 2016, when her son Souljah-RhythmSam Edwards was born on Christmas Eve at 24 weeks, weighing a tiny 815g.
Two more babies later, one of which was also premature, Stephens’ is getting ready to celebrate Souljah’s eighth birthday.
“Every day is a beautiful day ... I forget what it was like in hospital, because they’re so healthy and well,” she said.
“I look at the photos and think, ‘Man, we got through that’.
“It wasn’t just months, it was years in and out of hospital.
“You wouldn’t think Souljah went through all of that.”
Stephens, who runs Hush Beauty Lounge and Hush Dance Studio, was Christmas shopping in Kerikeri when she started getting severe pains and went into labour.
Souljah’s father Tyson Edwards drove her to a GP, then to hospital in Kawakawa and finally to Whangārei.
Souljah was a mere 815g – less than two blocks of butter – when he was born and is now a healthy boy.
There, a scan showed the baby was in the birth position and ready to make his exit and she was bundled into a helicopter and flown to Auckland City Hospital, where Souljah was born at 3am on December 24.
He wasn’t breathing so she had no chance to hold him before he was whisked away for CPR. He needed a ventilator to breathe and was covered in tubes and wires.
Souljah is now in Year 3 at Tautoro School south of Kaikohe and “doing really well”.
He learns ju-jitsu in Kerikeri and loves dancing and kapa haka at school.
Though Stephens was told he may have hearing or vision difficulties, he has passed all his tests.
Souljah has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], a chronic lung disease, but that doesn’t stop him taking part in activities and sports.
“He is healthy as,” Stephens said.
“He has met all of his milestones including hearing and coordination.
“He’s doing well health-wise, and learning-wise, he’s caught up to his year group now.
Bo-Deene Stephens with Souljah, who was born at 24 weeks on Christmas Eve in 2016.
Souljah now has two brothers; Sovereign, 5, who was born in October 2019, at 25 weeks, which is also premature, and Sire, 3, who was born at 36 weeks.
Babies born at less than 28 weeks are considered “extremely preterm”, and those born before 24 weeks are unlikely to survive without transfer to a tertiary unit before birth.
Stephens has spent months in hospital with her boys.
“With Souljah, I was in hospital [Ronald McDonald House and Whangārei hospital] for 115 days, and with Sovereign for 109 days.”
Stephens said having two “miracle babies” taught her patience and resilience.
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.
