Julie and Phil Neville’s daughter, Isabella, defied the odds when she survived after doctors predicted she would only live for 24 hours. At 18 months, Isabella was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and doctors believed she would never walk. Now, at the age of three, Isabella is making great progress, allowing Julie and Phil to openly share their experiences.
During Julie’s pregnancy, her water broke at 28 weeks, leading to a hospital stay. After two weeks in the hospital, Julie experienced a placental abruption, forcing doctors to perform an emergency caesarean to deliver Isabella.
The night after Isabella’s birth, she was critically ill, leaving doctors uncertain of her survival. Phil spent the entire night by her side in the incubator, while Julie, still in a poor condition, was unable to visit the intensive baby care unit for 30 hours.
Within a few days, Isabella’s lungs strengthened, enabling her to breathe independently. After five weeks, she was healthy enough to take a bottle, and at six weeks, weighing 5lb, Isabella was able to go home.
Despite her premature birth, Julie and Phil thought their daughter was perfect and tried to move past the traumatic experience. However, Isabella’s health issues persisted.
Isabella struggled to drink her bottle, often becoming sick afterward. Initially, Julie attributed these problems to her premature birth and hoped they would improve with time. But as the months went on, Isabella fell behind in her development.
While others babies began sitting up, crawling, and walking, Isabella did not. Julie sensed that something was wrong. Family, friends, and health visitors reassured her that Isabella would catch up, but when she did start crawling, it was evident that she was weaker on her left side. Her movements were slow and deliberate, and her left foot dragged when supported to walk.
At 18 months old, Isabella was taken to see a pediatrician who diagnosed her with cerebral palsy. An MRI scan revealed that Isabella had likely suffered a stroke in the womb around six months into the pregnancy. This stroke affected the part of her brain responsible for muscle control and coordination.
Cerebral palsy affects movement and is present in around one in every 400 babies born in Britain each year. The condition’s severity can vary, with some experiencing mild symptoms and others having significant limb impairments. Learning difficulties, feeding and talking problems, and sensory impairments are also possible.
Treatment for cerebral palsy depends on the child and may involve physical therapy, medication, and surgery. Initially, Isabella’s cerebral palsy was considered mild, but it has since been classified as medium.
Doctors initially gave Isabella a less than 50% chance of walking, but Julie and Phil were determined to help her defy the odds. They made modifications to their home to assist Isabella’s mobility and fitted her with special leg splints. Over time, Isabella began taking her first steps with the help of a walking frame.
We couldn’t believe it,” says Phil. “It was the best Christmas present ever. At first we didn’t want to tell anyone in case it was a one-off. But as the days went on, she became more confident and started letting go of her walker more and more.”
Through Isabella’s traumatic premature birth and disability, Julie and Phil have become involved with several charities to help other families in similar situations. They are patrons of the New Children’s Hospital Appeal in Manchester and Julie is also an ambassador for the premature baby charity Bliss.
“We were lucky to have had Isabella at St Mary’s in Manchester, which is one of the top neonatal units in the country. The help and support we got there was fantastic” says Julie.
“But not everyone is so lucky. One in eight babies born in the UK is premature or sick, and some hospitals just don’t have the staff, resources and time to provide the kind of support we got.
