The longest eight minutes for any parent.

It’s the birth story that began as a total nightmare and then turned into an miracle.

After a routine pregnancy, mum Rachael Cherry, 30, from the UK expected a textbook birth with husband Adam Babbage, 30 by her side. However, in the delivery suite things took a turn for the worst. The baby was stuck. Doctors had no choice but to perform an emergency c-section.

Baby Theo was delivered quickly but he was lifeless and had no heartbeat. Rachael and Adam strained to hear their baby’s first cry but instead were met with total silence from him. They immediately knew something was terribly wrong. Rachael told the Mirror :

As doctors and nurses frantically tried to revive him, the worried parents had no choice but to wait. Dad Adam said:

It took eight minutes to revive Theo, minutes that seemed like hours. When they managed to restart his heart Rachael and Adam felt immediate relief but then began to wonder what damage had been done.

http://ivillageau.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/files/Theo-in-intensive-care..jpg Theo, just an hour old and in intensive care.

Rachael says not being able to take him in her arms was hard. She told the Mirror:

http://ivillageau.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/files/Theo-four-months.jpg Theo, four months.

It took a week for baby Theo to cry for the first time and twelve days until he was allowed to go home. Today, Theo is a perfectly healthy six-month old  and his parents couldn't be more grateful. Dad Adam told us:

http://ivillageau.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/files/Adam-Rachael-and-Theo.jpg Adam she he and Rachael can't imagine life without Theo.

Adam has launched a fundraising drive to purchase another specialist incubator for the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. It's the incubator that saved Theo's life by cooling him for the first few fragile days, minimising any damage resulting from his birth. They cost $19,800. He wrote on the site:

You can contribute here.

Did you experience unexpected complications during your child's birth?

Want more? Try:

How soon is too soon to visit a newborn in hospital.

"I was mummy bullied and shamed after I gave birth.

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