Complicated birth

“We didn’t know whether our Xaver would survive”

Little Xaver was only allowed home to the Hausruckviertel after 80 days in hospital. It was also a difficult time for mom Sarah and dad Christoph, who are now doing everything they can to ensure that their brave sunshine develops in the best possible way.(Bild: Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

Burst varicose veins in the uterus meant that mother and child almost died at birth. After a difficult start, the parents want to do everything they can for the one-year-old's development.

Five blood units for the mother, one for the newborn - the lives of both were hanging by a thread after the birth. Sarah's pregnancy from the Hausruckviertel region was completely normal until the 32nd week. In mid-November of the previous year, however, the 34-year-old was suddenly plagued by pain in her stomach and back, which became increasingly severe. She was rushed to hospital, where she was given the all-clear for the time being: no contractions and everything was fine with the baby.

Condition worsened
Nevertheless, the pregnant woman was admitted for safety reasons while her husband Christoph (36) went home and went to work the next day. That Tuesday, Sarah was taken to the delivery room around midday, where the unborn child was constantly monitored. In the late evening, the condition of mother and child deteriorated massively, Sarah says: "I didn't notice anything, I just told them to call my husband immediately."

Xaver has to be fed with a tube.(Bild: Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

Danger to life for mother and child at birth
While he was on his way to hospital, Xaver was delivered by emergency caesarean section: "I had to wait outside the operating theater. They told me that my wife was in a very bad way and that we had a boy. But they don't know if either of them will survive." As it turned out, varicose veins had burst in Sarah's uterus and both mother and baby suffered massive blood loss during the birth. "Xaver was snow-white when he was born. He had to be resuscitated in the operating theater," says the father.

"It's like being remote-controlled"
Because he was in such a bad way, the mother was pushed to her child in the hospital bed after first aid. What was going through the parents' minds at that moment? "It's like being remote-controlled, it just works," they both say. What followed was a rollercoaster of emotions, with setbacks: "Two days later, Xaver also suffered a brain haemorrhage. A week later, he was transferred to another hospital. We had him baptized beforehand in case something happened on the way," says Christoph.

You can help too!

Dear readers! If you would like to help the impaired Xaver and his family, please make a donation to our "Krone" special account at Hypo OÖ under the reference "Birth": IBAN: AT76 5400 0000 0040 0002; BIC: OBLAAT2L The transferred amounts will also be published by name in our print edition. However, if you wish to remain anonymous, we kindly ask you to indicate this in the "Intended use" field. Donations are tax-deductible!

Home after 80 days
After 80 days in hospital, the little fighter was allowed to go home for the first time to his newly built house, where he celebrated his first birthday on November 21. "He has a sucking and swallowing disorder, is fed via a nasogastric tube and has a shunt to regulate his intracranial pressure. Xaver can't sit or crawl yet," says Sarah about his difficult everyday life. How he will develop is still uncertain, but the couple want to leave no stone unturned to support him as best they can. "Speech therapy, swallowing cessation, hormone therapy," says Christoph, listing the financial burdens. What is the prognosis for the future? "I don't even want to think about it. I always say: 'Xaver, you can do it'"