Wellington, NEW ZEALAND — The mother of Cook Islands' miracle baby, born over four months premature, is calling for an overhaul of maternity healthcare on the island.
Louisa Castledine and her daughter, Mana, are a powerful testament to resilience in the face of adversity.
Born prematurely in September last year at just 24 weeks, Mana's survival not only marked a personal victory for the Castledine family but also uncovered critical gaps in the Cook Islands' healthcare system and the urgent need for reform.
The Castledine family recently celebrated Mana's first birthday and sat down with RNZ Pacific to share their story.
It was September 2023. Louisa was at home doing dishes when she realized her waters had broken.
She was only 23 weeks pregnant.
They rushed to the Rarotonga hospital only to be told, there were no available doctors.
"[The hospital] said, 'come back tomorrow', and I was like, 'I'm pretty sure this is a medical emergency'. They explained that there were no doctors and nurses up at the hospital. They were all at a conference."
"I actually said, 'No, I'm not leaving till I see a doctor'. So, they managed to contact a doctor down at the conference to assess me and came with the conclusion that my waters had broken."
The doctor confirming her fears was just the start of a nightmare roller-coaster of events for the Castledine family.
They were told by doctors the hospital was not equipped to care for a premature birth in the Cook Islands.
Her only hope was a medical evacuation to New Zealand: but there were no available hospital beds.
"I was instantly flooded with the idea that I was losing a baby," Louisa recalled.
"I actually waited in hospital here in the Cook Islands for three days before I could be medevaced to New Zealand. And so, in that time, it was really daunting because I was conscious at any point, I could go into labor and she wouldn't have the support that she needed in order to survive."
Louisa said the hospital did not have the antibiotics or steroids needed to support her complex condition, making the three-day wait even more terrifying.
When the family finally arrived in New Zealand, the gravity of their situation overwhelmed them as they faced life-altering decisions regarding preemie care.
"It was full on," Louisa shared, adding that, "We were faced with decisions around extreme prematurity to staring at the barrel of long-term disabilities, that doctors essentially sat us down to discuss our options."
"We went with intensive care to give her every chance of survival, to do whatever it took to save her," Louisa said.
She said they took to social media to share our journey raising awareness.
"And in doing so, thousands of people rallied to our side offering their support being moved by our story and journey! It provided comfort in our greatest time of need," she said.
Just a week after arriving in Aotearoa, Mana Te Hine Toa Pearl Castledine, kicked her way into the world.
Weighing only 653 grams [23 ounces] "Powerful Female Warrior" was a fitting name for Mark and Louisa's third child born into battle.
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