TWO RELIEVED parents have praised the work of maternity staff at Llandough and University Hospital of Wales for saving the life of their first child after she was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck three times.

Eagle eyed staff at Llandough Hospital ordered an ultrascan of Bethan Durkin, who was just days away from her due date, after they became worried about the size of her unborn baby as she hadn’t been putting on weight.

After being transferred to University Hospital Wales as a precaution a midwife had a hunch that something was wrong and, after further tests revealed an irregular heart rate of the baby, 28-year-old Bethan was rushed to have an emergency caesarean section operation.

It was soon discovered that little Rhiannon Louise Durkin, who was born weighing just five pounds seven ounces, had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck three times.

She was then rushed to the high dependency unit where there were fears that she had contracted septicaemia, a form of blood poisoning. After being treated with antibiotics for acidic blood, and a nervous few days in an incubator away from her parents, she was eventually discharged nearly a week later and was allowed to go home with her family.

Marc Durkin, a member of Penarth and Dinas Runners, has praised the work of the hospital staff for saving the life of his first born child. He said that if it hadn’t been for the quick-thinking of the midwife Claire Bowden in ordering a heart rate check and an emergency caesarean then their “little fighter” Rhiannon would have died.

He said that as Bethan was asleep the midwife considered returning later, but “had a feeling” that they should do it there and then. They soon discovered that the irregular heart rate and, after the surgeon ordered an emergency caesarean section operation, Rhiannon Louise Durkin was born within 20 minutes at 9.19am on Saturday, October 4.

“The doctor said he had never seen anything like it,” said Marc.

“He said he had seen the cord wrapped around once or twice, but never three times.

“He said if we had waited another hour she wouldn’t have made it.

“As the team acted so quickly they managed to get her out and treat her.”

He added: “All we wanted to say was that if it wasn’t for the midwife, the hospital staff at Llandough who scanned Bethan and all of the actions of everyone at UHW then Rhiannon wouldn’t have been alive.

“We are just so grateful to them all.

“It’s just a chain of events and if they didn’t happen Rhiannon wouldn’t be here now.”

He added that they had bought the midwife a big box of chocolates and a bouquet of flowers as a Thank You, and thanked everyone else on the ward.

Bethan, who works at Morrisons in Cardiff Bay near Penarth, said it was “heartbreaking” being away from her child after she was born, but it was all worth it when they could finally return home with their newborn.

Marc, 28, added that it was a relief that they managed to care for Rhiannon after the septicaemia scare.

His grandmother died of the disease and he had the condition as a youngster too. In May this year he also ran the Liverpool Marathon in aid of the UK Sepsis Trust and raised a total of £1,000.

He added about Rhainnon’s condition: “It turned out to be the placenta failing at the end and they managed to treat it so it didn’t affect any of her vital organs.”

Marc’s dad, Paul, said that septicaemia was “one of the most unrecognisable diseases imaginable” and that they were lucky to treat it in time. He added that it had the same symptoms as the flu and was often misdiagnosed.