Today, her daughter Amelia is a happy one-year-old after spending the first nine weeks of her life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). But Leanne’s journey to motherhood has been shaped by both heartbreak and resilience.
When Leanne found out she was expecting her first baby in 2019, she never could have anticipated what lay ahead. She recalled: “I went to triage in January 2020 to get checked over – I was just 24 weeks and a day at this point. Less than 12 hours later, I was back in hospital giving birth to our little girl, Olivia.”
Neither Leanne nor her partner knew much about premature birth, despite Leanne herself being born at 28 weeks. After being stabilised in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Olivia, who weighed just one pound and four ounces, was transferred to the Jessop Wing at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.
Leanne remembers the fear vividly: “So many questions were going through my mind – will she survive being born this early? What health issues could she have? What’s going to happen next?”
Sadly, after three days, Olivia passed away in her parents’ arms – the first day they had been able to hold her.
Five years on, Leanne and her partner turned to IVF after struggling to conceive again and welcomed another baby girl, Amelia, in December 2024. Like her mum and sister, Amelia was also born prematurely at 27 weeks, weighing just two pounds and two ounces.
Leanne said: “We were terrified that we were going to go through the same experience with Amelia as we did with Olivia. The NICU experience is one that no parents should have to go through – the alarms, constant activity, visiting your child every day instead of having them at home – it really does take a toll on your physical and mental health.”
After nine weeks in NICU, Amelia was able to go home with her family. However, for Leanne, the emotional impact remained: “I found it incredibly hard to look back at photos or think about Amelia’s birth or the NICU without getting emotional.
“I felt sadness for our experience and guilt for feeling the sadness, as I thought of other parents who had a much harder journey than us. I tried to hide my feelings from my partner as I didn’t want him to worry about me and resisted the urge to seek help as I didn’t think I deserved it.”
When Leanne finally reached out, she was diagnosed with PTSD and received support from the perinatal team at DRI, who encouraged her to join a Facebook support group.
After sharing her story, Leanne was amazed at how many people had been through a similar situation: “It was a relief to know that my feelings were normal and that my reaction to trauma was valid.”
Now, with Amelia thriving at one year old, Leanne is giving back by volunteering as a perinatal support volunteer for local NICU groups: “I strongly believe there should be greater awareness of prematurity and neonatal care during pregnancy. It would’ve helped me enormously to understand NICU and why babies might end up there. I hope sharing my experience encourages others to be open with their feelings and seek support, particularly dads – please don’t suffer in silence.
“If I have any advice for NICU parents, it’s this: look after yourself, celebrate small moments, and never be afraid to ask questions. Don’t compare your journey to others – every experience is unique. Being Amelia’s mummy is a dream come true, and I’m so grateful to all the medical staff across DRI and STH who helped make this possible for us.”
Laura Churm, Divisional Nurse for Children and Neonates at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: “Leanne’s courage in sharing her story, and her commitment to supporting other families, is truly inspiring. The neonatal journey can be incredibly overwhelming and having someone who understands that experience can make a profound difference.
“We are so grateful for her compassion and her dedication to helping other parents feel heard, supported and less alone.”
Leanne hopes that sharing her story will encourage other parents to seek support if they are struggling. If you have experienced a difficult pregnancy, birth or neonatal journey, speak to your community midwife, health visitor or GP, who can help connect you with specialist perinatal mental health services and local support.