The parents of a baby named Robyn, who was born very tiny at just 11 ounces (328 grams), have finally brought her home after 18 months in the hospital.
Robyn was born five months early in March 2023 at Grange Hospital in Cwmbran, Torfaen, and she still needs special care all the time. Her parents, Chantelle (34) and Daniel (38) from Malpas, Newport, are raising money for her treatment. Chantelle said, “It’s like a dream come true to have Robyn home.”
Robyn was born at just 23 weeks and 2 days and was so tiny that she could fit in the palm of a hand. To keep her organs warm while she grew, she was kept in a sandwich bag.
After six months in the hospital, she spent another seven months in the pediatric intensive care unit at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital in Cardiff. She then returned to Grange Hospital until she was finally discharged in September.
Chantelle, who works part-time as an accountant, said, “It’s just so nice to do normal family things… and just all be together under one roof.”
Daniel, a self-employed bricklayer, mentioned that it’s much less chaotic at home now. He has had to cut back on work to focus on taking care of his daughter.
Robyn gets oxygen and nutrition through tubes in her nose and mouth, and her vital signs are watched all the time. She takes 30 doses of medication each day.
Her mom, Chantelle, explained, “She can’t cough, so we have to suction her mouth and nose throughout the day when she needs it.”
Daniel described Robyn as doing well and enjoying the “peace” of being at home. He added that they do a lot of physical therapy and play with her to help her senses.
Chantelle said it was tough to bond with Robyn in the busy hospital ward, with doctors and nurses always coming in and out.
“All you can do is sit next to her and watch,” she explained, “keeping an eye on the numbers on the screen and hoping she will be okay.”
“When Robyn was born, we weren’t sure if she would survive.
“As time went on, she grew bigger and stronger, but she still faced many problems. It became clear that her brain damage would have a big impact on her.”
‘We know nothing is impossible’
“We didn’t learn about her brain damage until about six months after she was born,” Daniel said.
“You have all these plans for how life will be, and then everything changes,” he added.
“But we try to stay positive.
“We know that nothing is impossible for Robyn because she has been told so many times that she wouldn’t be able to do things or even survive, but she keeps proving everyone wrong.
“She’s full of surprises, and I believe she will create her own story.”
The View hosts defended Taylor Swift’s interaction with Celine Dion at the Grammys
Taylor Swift’s interaction with Celine Dion at the Grammys has been defended by The View hosts.
Swift took home the ‘Album of the Year’ award – for the fourth time – at the 66th AnnuaI Grammy Awards ceremony held on Sunday (February 4) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
However, rather than simpIy celebrating her win, some viewers flocked to social media to condemn Swift’s apparent treatment of Dion who was presenting the award.
Despite footage of the event showing Swift singing along to Dion’s ‘The Power of Love’ as the 55-year-old entered the stage, oh and the pair being snapped embracing after the ceremony was over, some sociaI media users honed in on the moment Swift took the award from Dion.
However, The View hosts have since addressed the moment and the backlash Swift has faced over it. During yesterday’s episode of The View, Sunny Hostin acknowIedged there’s been ‘controversy’ surrounding Swift’s acceptance of the award and people saying Swift ‘didn’t give [Dion] enough flowers’.
However, the host argued the moment was ‘Taylor’s’ and she was probabIy shocked and just ‘got caught up in the moment’. Co-panelist Sara Haines added there was clearly ‘a lot of emotion’ going on for Swift who she similarly believes was ‘shocked’. Alongside being targeted for her interaction with Dion, Swift has also faced criticism recently from NFL fans over her attending games in support of her Kansas City Chiefs’ player boyfriend, Travis Kelce.
Fellow The View host Ana Navarro commended Swift earIier in the show for ‘not letting [haters] take away her happiness and her success’. All those people bullying Taylor Swift are turning me into a Taylor Swift fan, she said. Because she’s responding to it with such grace and such joy.
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