Episode 4 Welsh Millennium Babies

13 years ago, BBC cameras filmed 22 families in Southeast Wales...

..as they approached the magical moment of birth.

BABY CRIES

Breath... and feel those down to there.

-Down you go. Come on.

-SHE STRAINS

There were problematic pregnancies...

Which day do you want to have your baby?

-Have it on a Friday, I can go out all day Saturday.

-THEY LAUGH

..dramatic deliveries...

Get it out!

No, you pant it out, don't push now, sweetheart!

Don't push!

..and life-saving special care.

I don't know what you're going through

and I don't think any of the nursing staff have got a clue.

OK? We don't.

It was a new beginning for the parents-to-be.

You did excellent! Well done!

And for some, it was to change their lives forever.

Over a decade later, and what has happened to these children

who grew up in a new century?

What has become of the Welsh millennium babies?

This time on Welsh Millennium Babies,

we catch up with two children who had a fragile start to life

on a hospital special care baby unit.

I was born a premature baby and I've always had a very quiet voice.

Why do you think that is?

Um, because it was something to do

with when I was really, really ill when I was little.

It was a traumatic time, but...you know...

And like you say, as soon as his lungs cleared,

he was fine and he's turned into the monster we now see.

Back in 1998, at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport,

an important birthday was being planned.

Which day do you want to have your baby?

THEY LAUGH

I don't mind, no.

-Have it on a Friday, I can go out all day Saturday.

-THEY LAUGH

On Friday?

No, have a Thursday.

On Thursday.

It doesn't matter.

-Is that all right?

-Yeah, it's fine.

Do you want to be put to sleep?

No, I want an epidural, please. Yes, please.

Claire and her husband Niven wanted a planned delivery

as their first-born Rebecca had ended up as an emergency Caesarean.

I think the thought of leaving Rebecca,

and, um, just the actual operation.

Cos...I'm a baby, so, um, I think it's just winding me up a bit now.

-But I know it's going to be fine.

-REBECCA SHOUTS

And it's nice because...my local midwife's going to be there, Cathy.

-REBECCA MUMBLES

-Yeah.

-We like Cathy, don't we?

-Yeah.

Makes it a bit more relaxing knowing that...

Knowing that it's going to happen.

-We know exactly when and...

-Yeah. I'm really excited cos I really don't know what I'm having.

And I think that was, you know...

I'm glad that we didn't find out what it was going to be.

Cos at least it gives us one surprise.

MUSICAL TOY PLAYS

That's a... That's a sheep!

With her bags packed and an appointment in the operating theatre,

Claire gave birth to her second child by Caesarean section.

Here we go, Claire.

OK!

It's a boy! A boy! BABY CRIES

Baby Cameron came into the world weighing six pounds, five ounces.

Look! There's a willy!

You want a touch of him?

OK, I'll take him to the paediatrician. Oh, he's gorgeous!

But the joy of a new-born baby boy was to be short-lived

when community midwife Cathy Whitcombe broke some worrying news.

They're going to take him upstairs for observation.

I think it's shock from delivery.

Nothing to worry about, she's going to tell you all about it.

We're taking him to the special care baby unit for observation.

There's nothing wrong with him,

babies sometimes are born and they do grunt.

-Now, which side?

-This side.

-All right. There we go.

Go to your mummy!

He's gorgeous, isn't he?

And when he cries, he's fine. But he's got this, unh-unh!

Niv, don't worry, darling. He's OK, honestly, love. He's fine.

I think it's the shock of delivery, you know?

-WOMAN:

-Hi. All right?

Hi. Dad was a bit upset cos I said.

Yeah. Right.

You can hear the noise he's making.

-Can you see his nose just flaring there?

-Yeah.

And you can see he's not having difficulty breathing,

but he's using a bit more energy than he probably should be.

Sometimes when you've been born by Caesarean,

cos you haven't been squeezed out the natural way,

-the fluid that's been in the lungs before hasn't all come out.

-Yeah.

And, you know, he might just need a bit of rest upstairs for a while.

See how he goes. Sometimes they just need warmed and left untouched.

-Are you struggling?

-BABY CRIES

Yeah, I think you are a bit, aren't you? Hmm?

Hmm?

Baby Cameron spent five days on the special care baby unit

where his breathing was closely monitored.

Eventually, he was well enough to go home.

12 years on, and the family are living in Newbridge.

Claire and Niven have celebrated 17 years of marriage.

And Cameron is in his first year of comprehensive school.

Where do you want me to put it?

On this chair by here, please, babe.

-Never-ending.

-Hmm!

Every time Rebecca and Cameron tidy their bedroom,

I seem to get about ten loads of washing.

I don't think they know where the washing basket is

-until they tell you they can't find any of their clothes.

-Hmm!

What have you got written there?

"Cameron's Room, best room in the world.

"Thank you, Mam and Dad."

And my mam's wrote up there, "Ta" and done some kisses.

And I've wrote, "Get out," to everyone else.

And I have to write my to-do list right here.

Most days, when me and my sister get home from school,

we have to do jobs by the time my parents get in from work.

Like, we normally come in,

watch TV,

then do our jobs,

and then... We used to do one job a day,

but now we have to do more so...

It's a bit...annoying.

But I've got to do it.

Why have you got to do it?

So my mam and dad can sit down when they get in.

Cos my dad, cos of his chest, he's really tired, so...

So, do you like helping your mum and dad?

Yeah, it puts a smile on their faces.

Hello!

Hello! Hello, dogs. Come on, then!

-Did you have a nice day?

-Hello! Yes, thank you.

Cameron's dad Niven suffers from scleroderma -

an autoimmune disease

which has attacked his skin and lungs.

The condition requires him to take a cocktail of daily medication.

I'm taking an immunosuppressant.

My immune system's affecting my lungs and...so this tries

to suppress that to stop it causing any more damage for the time being.

I mean, since I've been taking the...suppressant, touch wood,

there's been no decline in my lung function, so...

Just keeping my fingers crossed

this is going to keep it stable for a while.

When the disease was at its worst, Niven had to stop work

and he can't rule out going on the lung-transplant list in the future.

I try not to let it take over my life and over everybody else's life,

but...you know, you've got to find your limits now.

There's a big fight,

if I go shopping - who's going to come with me

-and who's going to carry the shopping.

-HE LAUGHS

He had liquid in his lungs and he was really ill,

so my mam took him to get a check-up,

and it turned out that he had to go back in hospital, so...

That upset me.

And then, I think, he was in there for two weeks.

NIVEN COUGHS

Another fragile young life being cared for

on the neonatal unit back in 1998 was baby Ellie.

So, how many weeks was she born, then?

Um, 26 weeks, but she was only measuring 22,

so it was on the borderline, really, of letting her live or...

It depended if she gasped or not...

when she was born.

19-year-old Kerry thought that she was never going to get her first-born baby home,

as Ellie's ongoing health problems required specialist nursing.

She's got to have more blood and immunisations before she can go home.

They want to keep her overnight under observation with her injections.

ELLIE CRIES

You can cry!

Because she's in oxygen, she needs as many red blood cells as she can,

because they carry the oxygen round the body, so obviously, she is depleted in them.

We don't want to compromise her any more than she is.

Because she is going home on oxygen, we want to make sure she is fighting fit.

I think everyone on the unit has looked after her at some time or another during her stay here.

So we've all got to know her very well.

We're all very attached.

It's nice to see them go home, especially like Ellie.

She's lovely. She's quite a character.

And she's lovely, and I'm really pleased to see this day come.

Finally, after almost five months of special care,

new parents Kerry and Jamie were able to take baby Ellie home.

Although her future health would be unpredictable.

More than a decade later, the family are living in Newport,

and 12-year-old Ellie is a big sister to Olivia and Lexi.

-Don't be afraid to get dirty, love.

-I know!

I help my mum do jobs and stuff.

Do you help your mum a lot?

No, not really.

Sometimes I do help, and sometimes I don't. Because I'm lazy!

Giving birth is a life-changing event,

but Ellie's premature arrival into the world at 26 weeks

is something that mum Kerry will never forget.

She looks quite poorly. She's only got the oxygen,

so she must have been near enough ready to come out of her incubator there.

The day after she was born, the doctor came to see me

and basically, they hit be with a bang.

I came back to earth with a bang. My excitement was fear then.

I didn't know what was going to happen. Whether this baby was going to survive.

I just didn't know.

There was everybody around me in the hospital,

cuddling their newborn babies, and I was just sat there,

not knowing what was going to happen to mine.

I was only young, so I think as much as I thought I was old, I wasn't.

I suppose thinking back now,

I was a teenager that was excited to be pregnant.

But as soon as I had a prem baby, I had to grow up. I had no choice.

I can always remember that she never, ever felt like ours.

Because it felt like you were being watched all the time.

I can always remember sitting there, thinking,

"she's got the health authority stamped all over her!"

It wasn't mine.

Towards the end, just before she came out, they started to lapse then.

You could do what you want then, and they were expecting you to suddenly take over as mum.

I can remember then going in, and then you felt like a mum.

But in the beginning, no, you didn't, you didn't feel like a mum at all.

It was like looking in a goldfish bowl, really.

Even though Ellie can't remember her traumatic start to life,

she still has a memento of her time spent on the special care baby unit.

-What have you got there, Ellie?

-My teddy that I used to have.

This was the dress from when I was little.

I like sticking it on this teddy when I've got it round me.

These were my very first dresses when I was a baby.

-It's tiny, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Can you imagine yourself being that size?

No.

I think I weighed one pound, five or six.

I think I weighed less than a bag of sugar.

-(That's tiny, isn't it?)

-Yeah. It's very small.

Cameron was also a special care baby.

Though his stay on the unit was short,

it was still a worrying time for his parents, Claire and Niven.

And watching it again brings all those memories back.

-Do you remember that day?

-Yeah.

It was just... We were helpless,

and there was not a lot we could do, and Claire was still tubed up and wired up.

Just... We'd got to try and...

console each other the best we can.

-It was just a horrible feeling, wasn't it?

-Yeah, yeah. It is.

When people say you were in shock, and you don't know what to do,

that's what's what it's like - not being in control.

Niven, I'm sure I saw a tear in your eye earlier.

One or two. Every time I watch it!

Can't help it, can I? Big softie.

It was a traumatic time, but only traumatic for a couple of days, wasn't it?

Yeah.

Like you say, as soon as his lungs cleared, he was fine,

and he was turned into the monster we now see! Yeah?

-CAMERON:

-Mm-hmm.

CLAIRE LAUGHS

On my third birthday,

my mummy watched it, and near the end, I started crying.

My mum asked me what was the matter,

and I said "Mummy, why do you hate me?"

Because I'd come out slower.

I felt like an idiot.

You were only three!

If you said it now, I'd wonder!

Ellie's family spend most of their leisure time together,

and fishing is one of her dad Jamie's passions.

And he's passed it on down the family line,

as even Ellie is now hooked.

-How much do you love fishing, Ellie?

-Loads.

Come on, Ellie, show some enthusiasm!

Jamie works shifts at a major supermarket,

so family time is precious.

And he'll tackle a bit of fishing come rain or shine!

I don't always bring the kids out in this weather, but...

it's me and my dad, usually!

There's a little roach.

We've got to get a bigger one, right?

Well, I have been fishing all my life, and it's come from my dad.

They just loved it, they came with me one day

and she's never stopped talking about it.

Sit down there.

Lean to the side.

Lean to the side and rest it on your hand.

It's really relaxing and nice and quiet.

-Did you want a boy at all?

-Yes. I always wanted a boy.

I want another child as well, but Kerry won't have it.

That's the end of it.

-KERRY:

-That is the end! Final. No more, Jame.

Forget it!

-REPORTER:

-Why?

-KERRY:

-Three is more than enough!

It's all right for him. He's in work. I have to stay and look after them.

No, Els, we don't want more!

-I just want a brother!

-What, a brother or just another baby?

-A brother.

-A brother? Impossible!

-REPORTER:

-How many have you caught so far?

-Five.

-KERRY:

-How many?

-Five.

This is where dad falls in! Quick! Go on, Jame.

Go on, Dad!

They're not magnets, they're maggots!

Cameron has grown up a healthy, happy boy.

But when he was ten years old, his father Niven was diagnosed with a severe autoimmune disease.

And for a while, he had to stop work.

-That's your first lot.

-Thanks, Niv. Next ones, please?

-Yeah, no problem.

Today, Niven's lungs function at only 40%,

so the type of work he can do is limited.

He's recently started a new job as a production operator

in an engineering factory.

But his health is never far from his thoughts.

Probably the next step for me is a lung transplant.

Claire and the kids have just got to suffer and...

I don't want to be a burden on them.

I don't want them to have to run round after me

and fetch and carry for me for, you know, the rest of my life.

But, err...

I do sit and have a little cry to myself sometimes.

That's why this job came at such, I think, an important time for us.

Both financially and for...

I mean there were cracks for me and Claire starting to appear as well.

She was struggling.

Can we stop now?

Claire works at the same factory

and understands how important this job is to her husband.

The difference we've all seen in him is amazing so, yeah,

I'm glad he's done it. You know? So, it's...

Don't get me wrong, the money's been helpful as well!

That's always... But, you know, that's not the main issue.

At the end of the day,

if his health means he can't do it, he can't do it.

But, no, he's really enjoying it. So I'm glad he's done it.

I know if it was me, it'd be different.

You know, I'd be, sort of curled up in a corner feeling sorry for myself,

so I do take my hat off to him, I've got to be honest.

Yeah.

Everyone in Ellie's family knows about her difficult start in life.

Even little sisters Olivia and Lexi.

-Who are those then?

-My big sister.

There's Ellie and my daddy.

She was taking her first steps and my mummy and daddy were so happy.

That was Ellie when she first came home.

Let's have a look at that tiny photo there.

Oh, she looks very small there, doesn't she?

How do you feel when you look at photographs of you as a little baby?

Um, just feel a bit weird in a way.

The first three years of Ellie's life were fragile.

She was in and out of hospital with life threatening chest problems.

I think that was harder because by then Ellie'd got her own personality,

you know, she was 18 months old, running round.

You know, it was a little person that had grown.

We knew Ellie then, if you can put it like that.

You know, I done everything with her and to see her go back a step then

and to think that we could lose her, like 18 months on,

I suppose, was harder than when she was born

because I'd had her home, I'd done everything.

You know, she called me Mum, everything like that.

So I think that was the harder one.

And then we had another one then the following Christmas.

But that one wasn't nowhere near as scary because she was just,

well, I'd say a lot healthier. She was a lot stronger, she was a year older,

she could hold her own a lot better then.

And then, since then, touch wood, we've never had to go back.

Now 12 years old, Ellie is lucky that she has no serious health problems

from her premature birth.

-You've got a very quiet voice, haven't you?

-Err, yeah.

Why's that?

Erm, cos I was born three months early

and kept in hospital for five months, I think.

I think it might have been caused by the tubes and stuff.

-Does it worry you?

-Erm, no, not really.

Sometimes I do shout at my sisters, but it don't work.

Well, they don't listen anyway if I do shout at them.

We don't know Ellie any different - her voice has always been the same.

But, I mean, probably you would've noticed it -

the deeper, croaky voice but, like I say, we don't notice it.

But she does get picked on for it quite a lot.

But I do think it is something to do with where she had so many tubes

put down her throat.

But, at the end of the day, what do you do? Croaky voice.

You know, it's what got her here today, isn't it?

Cameron has to help out around the house

and he is starting to show real flair in the kitchen.

-Whisk it?

-Mix it up now, yeah.

Big whisk. Don't want any lumps there.

How long have you been cooking then, Cameron?

-Don't know. Just started...

-Around Christmas time, wasn't it?

-We all had Christmas dinner together, didn't we?

-Mm-hmm.

He hasn't poisoned us yet anyway. He made a fruit salad in school.

It was nice.

-There, is that OK?

-Let's have a look.

If I do any cooking, Niven interferes.

He comes and stirs everything

so I decide, "Right, OK, let him carry on,"

and I sit here reading the paper instead.

It's a good deal to me.

Would you like to cook as a professional?

Hmm, nah. I want to be an engineer when I'm older.

My mum always said I was good at things like that.

-Good at taking things apart, eh?

-I used to take all my toys apart.

Some of them I knew how to put back together, some of them I didn't.

-Check the oven to see if it's hot enough yet.

-It's gone off.

-Light's off, yeah?

-Mm-hmm.

-OK.

'I'm so proud of Cameron -

'the way he's stepped up to the mark to help out'

in the last 18 months/two years

since I've been diagnosed with my illness.

I don't think a parent could be any more proud

than I am at the moment with him.

But it's not all work for father and son.

Tonight it is football practice for the Treowen Stars Club.

He enjoys his football so...

Just...standing in the cold,

week in, week out.

Sunday mornings, Saturday mornings. Just making sure he enjoys the game.

Whether or not Cameron turns out to be the next Ryan Giggs

doesn't really matter to his mum and dad.

I suppose like any parents,

-you just want your child to be healthy and happy.

-Yeah.

You don't look forward to planning the future for him

cos at the end of the day, it's Cameron's future

and he can decide what he wants to do himself.

As long as he's happy in what he does...

We'll just try and encourage him and support him

and hope, you know, hope he does...

-Guide them rather than push them, isn't it?

-Yeah, that's right, yeah.

If it weren't for my mum and dad, I would have a place to live,

a room to live in, a bed to sleep in or anything.

I wouldn't have any food so I'd die.

Ellie's health and fitness is going from strength to strength

and she takes to her weekly swimming lessons like a duck to water.

Ready? Go!

Ellie, keep your hand in.

She is going a lot better. At first, she was slightly weak

but she's getting stronger and stronger as she goes along now.

She does running in school on sports days.

She's pretty good at that as well - long distance, she does.

That surprises me.

For the first two years of her life

we didn't know where we were, so to see her now at 12 years old -

she's brilliant.

All I hope is that her health continues, to be honest with you.

I mean, there's nothing standing in the way at the moment

to say that anything's going to be wrong with her.

But I just hope that she can continue

cos she's done so well over the years to keep her health.

Obviously, you want the best for them - marriage, kids, job.

So, yeah, I just hope for all that - that everything's fine

and she knows where I am if ever she needs me, you know?

I'm really proud of her. Really proud.

Aren't we? We might not always show it but we are.

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