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Stroke victim baby Archie Lyall expected to make full recovery

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A BABY who could have been left severely disabled after suffering a stroke is expected to be given the all-clear next month. Archie Lyall from west Hull had a neonatal stroke, when he was just a few hours old. Emma Wright reports. ATTACHED to machines on an intensive care unit, little Archie Lyall's life was in the hands of his doctors.

He was only a few hours old but his parents were told his life could be changed forever after finding he had suffered a neonatal stroke.

But now aged 16 months, Archie seems to have made a full recovery and his family are hoping for the all-clear from any related complications next month.

These happier times are a far cry from Archie's birth at Hull and East Yorkshire Women's and Children's Hospital.

Back then, it was feared the stroke would render Archie permanently disabled.

"When the doctors were saying things such as 'cerebral palsy' and 'worst case scenario' I just couldn't believe what was happening," said mum Helen Bunker.

Helen, 30, and her partner Lee Lyall, 27, who live in Gipsyville estate, west Hull, saw Archie enter the world on Boxing Day 2012, weighing 7lb 8oz.

Helen had noticed his chest was twitching slightly in the cot when she was at the hospital but thought it was just a mild case of hiccups.

She said: "My pregnancy was completely fine but Archie was due on December 14.

"I was going to be induced, but I started labour on Christmas Day.

"My waters broke and I was pushing and pushing and the midwife could see the head, but nothing was happening.

"I was pushing for hours and hours and, eventually, I had to have an emergency C-section because I'd had a cord prolapse.

"A couple of hours after he was born, the midwife came round and pointed at his chest and asked me how long he'd been doing the twitching.

"I'd thought it was just hiccups so she told me to tell her if it happened again.

"An hour later, Lee noticed he was doing it again."

A team from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) took Archie away before Helen had even had chance to get a photograph of her newborn.

"The midwife went and got one for me and brought it down from the NICU," said Helen.

"He had wires and tubes all over him and all sorts of machines attached to his body.

"He had monitors on his brain – when he twitched, he looked perfectly normal, like nothing much was happening – but on the machine, his brain waves were going ten to the dozen.

"He had an MRI scan and that's when they told us he'd had a neonatal stroke."

Baby Archie was kept in hospital for a further two weeks before being allowed home.

Doctors prescribed medication and warned Helen and Lee to keep a close eye on Archie's development – looking out for any signs he was not advancing as he should.

Since his birth, Archie has been back and forth for regular check ups but, next month, his family hope he will have the all-clear.

Helen said: "It was a scary time, with Archie being our first as well.

"But now we're really excited that soon he will get the all-clear.

"We're hoping the doctor will say he is doing great and he doesn't need to keep seeing him anymore.

"It's a day we've been looking forward to since we found out he'd had the stroke.

"To me, he seems to be doing all the things a little boy should and is really showing his personality now.

"He loves playing with his balls, loves cars and is really cheeky.

"I think he'll either be a rugby player or a rally driver when he is older."

As a thank you for all the lifesaving work specialists at the Women's and Children's Hospital did for Archie, Helen and other mums with experiences of the NICU are holding a sponsored fancy dress walk across the Humber Bridge with a teddy bears' picnic.

Those taking part will meet in the bridge car park at noon on Sunday, July 6, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Helen said: "We all wanted to show the unit just how grateful we are for what they have done for our babies.

"So far, Archie is OK, but he wouldn't be without the unit and all the staff there.

"We can't thank them enough for what they did."


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Stroke victim baby Archie Lyall expected to make full recovery


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