Lili Mai Hughes

Born: July 10, 12.40am

Weight: 6Ib 5oz

Parents: Emily and Rhys Hughes, Paxcroft Mead, Trowbridge

NEW mother Emily Hughes was full of praise for staff at Trowbridge Birthing Centre and the Royal United Hospital in Bath, after her newborn Lili had to be rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) due to complications.

Mrs Hughes, who has been with her husband Rhys for nine years and married for a year, was also taken to NICU separately from her daughter after the cord snapped during delivery.

Lili had to be resuscitated before being taken to the RUH in an ambulance with Mr Hughes, who is an inclusive learning facilitator at Wiltshire College, but thankfully she pulled through and is doing well.

The couple, both aged 27, thanked the midwives at Trowbridge Birthing Centre for acting so quickly following the birth and also paid tribute to the staff at NICU.

“It was a good pregnancy, but a dramatic birth,” said Mrs Hughes, who is also a lecturer at Wiltshire College. “Her cord snapped during delivery, so she had to be taken to the neonatal intensive care unit at the RUH.

“The midwives at Trowbridge were so quick to resuscitate her and then the staff at NICU were great. She was taken straight off and I didn’t see her till the next day, but Rhys went off with her as I also had to have an operation.

“It was very scary for both of us, but everyone was really good at going through what they were doing with her. She is a very lucky girl, but she is doing really well now.

“We knew we were having a girl and we had the names early on in the pregnancy. We looked at several names and Lili was just one that we liked, while Mai is my middle name – although it is spelt differently.”

The couple, who live in Paxcroft Mead, Trowbridge, say they have had lots of visits from family members since bringing Lili, who had to stay in NICU for five days, home.

Mrs Hughes said: “Our family have been around every day to see her and she is the first grandchild for both grandparents, so they are excited and have been very supportive.

“Lili is doing really well now and she has settled in well since getting home. She is sleeping very well and is a calm baby, which is possibly because she dealt with so much straight after her birth.”