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.”
My Husband’s Family Always Excludes Me from Dinners, So One Time I Taught Them a Real Lesson
A 32-year-old woman took to Reddit to share how she was excluded from her husband’s family events during their three-year marriage. Despite being married to her 35-year-old husband, she was invited to only half of the family dinners, unlike her husband’s brothers’ significant others. Her husband often told her to “sit this one out,” which left her feeling isolated and excluded.
The tipping point came when she was asked to stay home once again. Frustrated, she made a reservation at the same restaurant and arrived shortly after her husband, catching his family off guard. Her husband was flabbergasted, and her mother-in-law deemed her actions rude. She defended herself, stating she just wanted to eat steak and had no intention of joining them.
When her husband returned home, he was angry and called her names. In a heated argument, he revealed it was a “family decision” to exclude her. Pressed further, he admitted his mother’s dislike for her race, personality, and political beliefs. Horrified but vindicated, she packed her belongings and went to her sister’s house.
In an update, she shared that the comments on her post gave her the confidence to confront her husband. She realized that her mother-in-law had pressured him into excluding her because she was half-black and didn’t fit their family mold. She felt it was likely they would either separate or divorce.
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