Walk For Prems 2018 #makingadifferencetogether

On March 17, 2018 we welcomed our little boy Tyson Anthony Moxon into the world. He is a dream come true for us and we are so incredibly grateful to have this happy little boy in our lives.

However, we overcame huge obstacles to bring our little boy home safely and will be forever changed by the experience.

We would like to openly share our story with you in the hope that you will support us in supporting those who helped us through what was a very challenging and frightening time.

At 28 weeks pregnant our world that always seems to spin a little too fast – came to a screeching halt.
Intuitively I knew something wasn’t right. Up until this point I had been relatively calm about my pregnancy and everything had been textbook ‘normal’. My body felt different and I couldn’t shake the nervous, anxious feeling I had. I presented to hospital hoping to be sent home feeling like I had over reacted – but that didn’t happen.

Tyson was diagnosed with IUGR (In utero growth restriction) at 28 weeks and from that very moment our lives became consumed by appointments with specialists, testing, and monitoring. There was now nothing certain about this pregnancy – except for the fact that doctors would not allow this pregnancy to go full term, and Tyson would be born prematurely. The IUGR diagnosis meant that even if Tyson was born at 36 weeks, he was measuring much smaller than an ‘average’ 36 week old baby.

Choosing not to have the invasive amniocentesis testing meant that we would have to wait until his birth to truly know the condition of his overall health and wellbeing. All we knew what that our little man would be born prematurely – and we would be ready to receive him.

I presented to hospital almost every second day for the last eight weeks of my pregnancy. There was no longer a due date. Tyson’s delivery was to be determined by the results of the monitoring conducted at the hospital.

Day by day his heart rate would be monitored and ultrasounds would reveal whether blood flow from my placenta had deteriorated in any way (there was far more to the monitoring than this – but this is the most simple explanation).

We were booked in for birthing classes, however the irony was that my pregnancy was unlikely to carry on long enough for us to reach the day of the scheduled classes before his delivery.

As a first time mum, I was seemingly unprepared, but I concentrated all of my energy on remaining centered and calm for our baby.

Waiting up to 8 hours at a time in hospital waiting rooms day after day gave me plenty of time to contemplate what life with a premature baby would be like. I was desperate to be well equipped with as much knowledge as possible so that I might be ready to be everything that my son needed me to be.

Pregnancy and child birth is a beautiful miracle. In those last few weeks of pregnancy I was torn between excitement at the thought of meeting our son, and anxiety surrounding the support he might need. The sound of his heart beat on the monitor was music to my ears. My favorite song. Sometimes the monitor would pick up my heart rate for a few seconds, reminding me he could hear my heart beat too. I hoped he knew that my heart was beating for him and him alone in those moments.

As Steve and I sat in hospital waiting rooms, hoping to hear good news each day, but preparing ourselves to be ready to deal with the worst – we drew on every ounce of our spirits to remain strong despite the fear that threatened to overwhelm us. Premature birth is the number one killer of newborns in the country. It was extremely important that we had access to critical information to best prepare for the birth of our son, and life with a premature baby.

It was at this point I came across resources created by Life’s Little Treasures Foundation. They provide support services and resources to families in need.

It was so comforting to have a resource that I could trust. Each year in Australia almost 48,000 babies are admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) and Special Care Nurseries (SCN). Life’s Little Treasure Foundation works to support these families – and I will be eternally grateful for that.

Following the advice of the obstetrics team at Geelong University Hospital – Tyson was born at 36 weeks and 1 day.

What was a routine monitoring appointment that we had grown used to attending suddenly resulted in Steve and I sitting in a room with the obstetrics team at one o’clock in the morning. We were told that based on the monitoring they conducted that day, we needed to go home, pack a bag and come back at seven o’clock that same day to deliver our baby. We had just six hours to process that our baby was coming into the world whether he or we were ready!

Tyson’s birth was beautifully uneventful. He was born a tiny but mighty 1.9kg and was born screaming – announcing his arrival into the world. Tyson defied the odds and exceeded all expectations and we were blessed beyond words to be home safe with our boy just 9 days after his birth.

However, many other families are not so lucky. “Most families aren’t prepared for a premature baby and so need the support provided by LLTF. Prematurity can cause significant financial, emotional and psychological hardship, and can cause significant stress and mental health issues if a family doesn’t have the right support.” Dr Simon Fraser, Latrobe Regional Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer and Senior
Paediatrician.

Each day we spend with our son, we feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the support we had. It is for this reason we are passionate about supporting premmie babies and their families during Walk for Prems 2018. Their goal this year is to raise $300,000

We will be attending the official walk on October 28th and hope to raise enough money to be ‘Walking for Prem Warriors’. This requires us to raise at least $600.00

Any donation you can make will be much appreciated.

THE LINK TO OUR PERSONAL FUNDRAISING PAGE IS http://www.lifeslittletreasuresfundraising.com.au/lenaphillips1986

We are also raising funds at Geelong Boxing Club!

ONE ON ONE SESSIONS WITH TWO TIME WORLD CHAMPION

STONE COLD STEVE MOXON

SPECIAL FUNDRAISING RATE JUST $40 for 30 mins

ALL MONEY PAID FOR THESE SESSIONS WILL BE DONATED DIRECTLY TO LIFE’S LITTLE TREASURES FOUNDATION IN OUR EFFORTS TO BECOME WALK FOR PREMS WARRIORS AND RAISE AT LEAST $600

Terms and Conditions

LIMIT ONE SESSION PER PERSON

SESSIONS MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE BEFORE 1ST DECEMBER 2018

ALL SESSIONS HELD AT GEELONG BOXING CLUB

To purchase a personal training session with Stone Cold Steve Moxon and support us in our fundraising efforts simply donate at least $40 to our fundraising page or contact us at Geelong Boxing Club.

THE LINK TO OUR PERSONAL FUNDRAISING PAGE IS http://www.lifeslittletreasuresfundraising.com.au/lenaphillips1986

We sincerely thank you for your support and look forward to making a difference together,

Much love,

Steve Moxon and Lena Phillips