Family describe ‘insane’ moment baby Lennon was born at 29 weeks
By Kirra Livingstone
WHEN Aiesha Anderson attended her 28-week scan ahead of the birth of her second child, Lennon, she was already nervous — it was her first appointment without her partner, Bailey.
Then came the impossibly hard news.
Doctors told her the baby had stopped growing and that she would need to undergo an emergency caesarean section.
“The scan I had before, they actually told me he was measuring two or three weeks ahead,” Ms Anderson said.
“I was terrified, they said he was going to come out that day, but we did more tests and ended up having a week to prepare and wrap our heads around this.
“We got to get time to do a tour of the NICU, and get ready for the long haul we were about to have there.”
One week later, Ms Anderson was admitted to Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH), where she underwent a C-section with Mr Sims by her side.
“It didn’t really go as planned, they said that the process of getting the baby out should only take 10 or 15 minutes, but it ended up being an hour and 20 minutes,” she said.
“The medication wore off, like the spinal wore off, and it just ended up being more complicated than we thought.
“We had to get extra surgeons in, there was about 30 people in the room, it was absolutely insane.”
Unlike the birth of her daughter, Athea — whom she was able to hold immediately after delivery — Ms Anderson didn’t see Lennon straight away.
“There was a team of eight in the theatre just for the baby, and as soon as he came out, they took him away,” she said.
“I didn’t actually see him at all for ages, but Bailey was able to go with him.
“We couldn’t hold him until seven days after his birth, because at that age they don’t really have energy to do anything.”
Lennon was born on December 17, 2024 — three months premature, with a due date of February 19, 2025.
He weighed just 934 grams at birth and dropped to 850 grams within 24 hours.
He remained at SCUH for seven weeks, during which time Aiesha and Bailey were permitted to hold him only an hour each day until he gained enough weight.
“It was very weird, like not taking a baby home is one thing, and then spending two months in hospital is pretty crazy,” Ms Anderson said.
“Even having all his cords swapped over was so much energy for him, so it’s all about him gaining weight.
“Because he’s not meant to be out of the womb for many more months, they aren’t meant to be touched a lot, we had to be really careful with him.”
From birth, Lennon relied on oxygen support, but as of Wednesday, June 4, doctors gave Ms Anderson the all clear: he no longer needs it.
Now, the family has become this year’s Give Me 5 for Kids ambassadors, helping raise funds for SCUH to purchase specialised equipment for critically premature babies.
“With what we went through, we really wanted to do something for other families like us,” she said.
As part of the campaign, 92.7 Mix FM will broadcast live from the couple’s business, Pine Property Partners, on June 17 from 6–9am to raise awareness and donations.
kirra@gcnews.com.au
