"Warrior" Gosport premature baby fights through "miracle" birth and weeks of hospital treatment to come home

Caleb Dawkins came into the world three months premature at just 26 weeks. Being born on September 24, 2023, the “miracle” tot weighed just 836g - less than a bag of sugar. He was due on December 28, but arrived sooner than expected for parents Reuben and Marianna.

The pregnancy started shortly after a babymoon holiday in Dubai at the Atlantis Hotel Resort. Just as quickly as Marianna’s symptoms arrived, the pair were whisked to Queen Alexandra Hospital for the birth - where Caleb would battle jaundice, bronchiolitis, stomach infections and other complications after being born.

“I really didn’t think he would survive,” Marianna told The News. “I couldn’t comprehend that they would save Caleb and thought the chances would be pretty slim. When he was born, I was just in complete shock.” Before the premature arrival, the parents were cautiously optimistic - especially Rueben.

“It was very exciting,” the 33-year-old said. “We’ve been trying for one and a half years, and there were times where I didn't think it would happen and resigned myself to that. When I found out Marianna was pregnant, I was extremely overjoyed. I bought everything that I wanted to buy from Mamas and Papas. Our parents were extremely happy.”

Marianna had previously given birth to her daughter Lily-Anna, 10. Reuben described the pregnancy as “nervy” due to hospital visits, but his partner was relatively calm and said it was fairly straightforward aside from some bleeding problems. Despite Marianna initially going through a similar cycle to her previous pregnancy, things soon changed.

Reuben said shortly after a trip with Lily to Legoland Windsor, Marianna started getting pains. After calling the labour line on September 23 and going into hospital where roughly 10 doctors, midwives and other staff were waiting, they were told the baby was coming that day. “It was a massive shock,” Reuben said. “I didn’t really know much about prematurity and the risks. I was excited because I wanted to meet my son. Then the doctor told us about the risks, and said at this stage, he had an 80-90 per cent chance of survival, and a 70 per cent chance of having a disability. That was the worst point, because you’re terrified of what could happen.”

Marianna said she was in “complete denial” about the pregnancy as everything escalated so quickly. “The midwife on the phone said she could hear I was in labour from the breaths I was taking,” she added. “I thought the worst straight away because I didn’t fully consider premature births and didn’t realise that you can save babies at that gestation.”

Reuben said Marianna experienced “excruciating pain” during the birth, which she described as the worst she’s ever had. “She felt like she was going to die,” the mortgage advisor said, “and I was worried and trying to push for a C section. Then he just burst out like a balloon had popped. The doctors took him off straight away and put him in an incubator.” Marianna had experienced a precipitous labour - where a baby is born within three hours of contractions starting.

“Lots of thoughts were going through my head, and the immediate thought was that I was losing him,” she added. “I was overwhelmed with panic and thought ‘what if something happens to me?’ I remember seeing blood and thinking not only would I lose him, I would put myself at risk. It was a really overwhelming situation. I didn’t have time to get my head round it fully. I remember the doctor reeling off the statistics to prepare us for the worst, and me not being able to take it all in. I had quite a difficult birth and lost quite a lot of blood, and I was just feeling quite frantic.”

Caleb was taken into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and would spend 63 days at the hospital - the majority of which in an incubator. “We didn’t know whether he was alive or what the situation was for a few hours,” Marianna said. “I was just researching premature babies. Even though I should have been resting, the panic and the type of person I am made me think ‘the more I know, the more in control I’ll feel’.” Marianna was desperate to see her miracle child, after initially experiencing a small moment where she held his tiny hand in her finger.

She was left “overwhelmed” when she entered the NICU and saw Caleb there. The mum was told she had a “haunting” look of worry and despair on her face, but also that of love. “It encapsulates how I felt”, she added, “seeing him there really helpless, not being able to hear a cry and being able to see every movement because his skin was see through. The staff were gentle in the way they cared for him and looked after me emotionally.”

“I was blindly optimistic,” Reuben said. “I got to bond with him by singing and reading to him. Where I could only see him a few hours a day, he needed me more.” Marianna was at the hospital 12 hours a day amid sleepless nights filled with worry. Reuben was constantly at the facility in between working his shifts. The parents - who clung on to hope by hearing updates from the “brilliant staff” - were told that if Caleb was stable for the first 72 hours, he would gradually improve.

“You’re hoping and wishing for the best,” Marianna said. “They’re looking at everything, even the brain as they have a high risk of having a bleed. There were so many thoughts just racing through my mind. You’ll feel like everything is great, then something will happen out of the blue. Caleb really was a miracle. For a 26-weeker, he didn’t spend a great deal of time on a ventilator.”

After slowly improving and growing, Caleb caught a gut infection four weeks into his stay which his mum noticed. The little tot had to be put back on oxygen and brought into the intensive care unit again. “There were times where he wasn’t looking his best self,” Rueben said. “There were periods of worry, but Caleb went through it incredibly well.” Caleb overcame the illness and started to improve again.

Marianna said: “It was very much up and down all the time. It’s cliché saying premature babies are little warriors, but they really are. It was amazing to see Caleb’s strength and watching him fight.” After the family willed Caleb on, and did everything they could to support him, he was finally brought home in December. Reuben said having his son home was the best experience of his life, where he could fully be a dad and look after him. Marianna’s emotions were a mix of relief and worry.

She said: “As much as you want to leave the unit to have some normality and enjoy your baby, without having lots of people around and alarms going off, it becomes your world and the staff become your family. You’ve gone through this really traumatic experience. Not many people can relate unless they’ve been through something similar. We were excited and worried, as he’s a lot more vulnerable. All the feelings you have about protecting him, you feel those 1,000 times over.”

As with many premature babies, Caleb’s time out of hospital was not straightforward. He caught bronchiolitis three weeks after being home. A monitor showed his oxygen levels dropping, and his parents rushed him to A&E. His condition started to deteriorate and he struggled to breath. Caleb was placed on a CPAP machine and later experienced a “dramatic” apnoea, where his breathing stopped for a short while.

Marianna was warned her baby may have to be incubated, put to sleep and taken to Southampton for surgery. Once again, Caleb began to recover the following day. “It was touch and go,” his mum said. “For five days, I didn’t eat or sleep, I was by his side. It’s amazing what these babies can withstand.” Caleb was later diagnosed with an inguinal hernia, which had to be operated on in early July after being noticed in January. “He’s just been amazing, the little fighter,” Marianna said.

This summer, Caleb has been thriving and experiencing so much with his mum and dad. Activities included kayaking, driving his first car, going swimming for the first time and attending Portsmouth Comic Con and Southsea Food Festival. “He got a lot of attention in his Spider-Man outfit,” Reuben said. “We’re enjoying having those experiences with him. Our social life was quite quiet before having a child, but now we’re always doing something. It has been amazing having him home, unbelievable.”

Alongside the social experiences, Caleb has been growing healthily and is developing physically and mentally. Reuben said: “A lot of people say they wouldn’t recognise that he was a premature baby. Looking back at the pictures months ago, we’re surprised how tiny he was. He could almost fit in our hands, but now he’s quite hard to hold with one hard. It’s like a workout and he loves to eat. He has caught up, and seems cognitively aware, always laughing and smiling. Sometimes we miss how small he was, because he was extremely cute, but now we love that he’s so big and confident he’ll be a big strong boy.”

Rueben said his “adorable” and captivating son gets attention wherever he goes, is a “charmer” and likes the company of others. He added that Marianna thinks Caleb looks a lot like him with his eyes, nose and “cheeky big smile”. “He’s definitely not got my hair though, because I don’t have any,” he said. “Caleb has taken the best from both of us. He’s a special, special boy, with strength and character.”

Caleb’s journey is only beginning, with premature babies more likely to be diagnosed with neurodiversity disorders or heightened anxiety. Reuben said providing the best environment for his son will help him overcome any obstacles. “He’s overcome adversity at such a young age, and I’m hoping to channel that into whatever career path he wants to go down.

“You’re always going to have anxieties, and some worry about him with physical activities. As a father, I want to make sure he has the best opportunities to progress. He’s come a long way and I want him to keep that strength which he has used to overcome the adversities he’s had in his young life and thrive.”