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Amy was just 23 weeks pregnant when she experienced a frightening bleed six weeks after having her gallbladder removed.

After being admitted to hospital for observation, Ms Slapp, from Bundaberg, Queensland, explained to That’s Life! that she was walking to the bathroom and realised her waters had broken…four months before she was due.’

Daily Mail reports, Ms Slapp, 31, said the contractions were halted by doctors but an infection was discovered and just six days later, her little girl was ready to come into the world.

‘I was frantic with worry. How could she survive at just 25 weeks?’ Ms Slapp questioned, who had to listen to doctors explain the risks of premature birth including brain damage, chronic lung disease and developmental delays.

‘When I saw her, I felt a huge rush of love. She was hooked up to a ventilator and was covered in tubes, but she was perfect,’ she said, explaining that Olivia weighed just 754 grams and was a mere 31 centimetres long.

thats life 2

‘I was desperate to scoop her up in my arms but she was too delicate to be held.’

10 days later, Ms Slapp was able to hold her daughter for the first time, but what followed were 10 stressful and challenging weeks.

Ms Slapp’s relationship broke down following the birth and she relied on the support of her parents.

When Olivia was five months, Ms Slapp had a doll made for her daughter by a company that makes dolls the size of premature babies.

‘We keep her special doll on a shelf in her room and take a photo of her with it on every birthday as a reminder of her progress,’ Ms Slapp said.

Ms Slapp is now happily married and although Olivia is smaller than average at five years old, she says people would ‘never know’ what their ‘miracle’ daughter had been through.

Such a little miracle!

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Read more: that’s life! Real life has never been so good

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  • Olivia’s story and journey IS amazing and she is most assuredly a miracle.
    Readers of this story should understand that Olivia’s Father was (*and still is) VERY present and he went through every single bit of this roller coaster also. (*despite the deceptive story portrayed by the Mother) I can attest to this as a close friend of the couple at the time.
    I find it disgusting that “That’s Life” allowed this.


    • Hmmm was a close friend of the couple at the time. Past tense so a friend of the father’s then? The mother did well to not air the dirty laundry of this “present” father.

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  • The doll is a lovely idea.

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  • Amazing! What a gorgeous little girl :)

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  • Such a little miracle, such a little fighter… tears well in my eyes reading this. And I realised how blessed I have been being able to get to 37 weeks gestation & have a healthy 3.63kgs baby girl after the complications at 30 weeks pregnant in which I had threatened pre-term labour. It is truly amazing what the doctors can do to help babies survive.

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  • She truely is a miracle.

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  • Amazing! What a strong little girl.

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  • This is really a huge miracle. Look how little she was! This little girl is very strong and her mum is very blessed. All the very best for the whole family.

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  • How excellent that Olivia survived and is such a blessing to you. From one Bundaberg person to another who also has a daughter named Olivia, I want to say its good news that she survived and everything is ok. I pray Olivia will grow stronger daily. I wish you and your family all the best for life.

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  • Even at 34 a baby’s lungs are under-developed. If the medical professionals think it is going to be a premature birth, they sometimes give treatment to try to strengthen the baby’s lungs to increase chance of survival. In this case they didn’t have the opportunity to give the whole treatment even if they started. A beautiful baby is now 5 years old and just as beautiful.

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  • What a beautiful story. And what a gorgeous little girl! Well done to such a brave mummy

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  • A little miracle indeed. She was so tiny! I’m glad she made it! :-)

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  • So beautiful!

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  • I also had a 25 weeker weighing only 699 grams and after spending 15 weeks in hospital we finally got to take our beautiful little girl home

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  • Thank goodness for all the advances in medicine.

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  • She was so tiny and gorgeous.. Really is a miracle baby

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