Loucinda and Garry O'Brien speak of son's premature birth

A premature baby, parents Garry and Loucinda O'Brien were told their son had a little more than 50-50 chance of surviving.

"It all happened very quick. She went in for her first appointment at Newcastle and she delivered the next day," Mr O'Brien said.

"It was pretty confronting when they take you into a little room and say they're giving him a 60 per cent chance of survival at that point. They said they could either do everything they could to save him or we could have a nice, quiet birth and have him for as long as he survived without any medical intervention.

"Like any parent, we wanted to do everything we could."

Henry was originally due in late December, but instead was delivered on September 4, 2021.

As a result of being born much earlier than anticipated, Henry has chronic lung disease which means he needs to be on oxygen regularly. He was also born with metabolic bone disease.

"They weren't terribly optimistic about his chances of getting through the first week," Mr O'Brien said.

"They told us a number of times that the placenta was pretty much gone at the time of delivery. He had a lot of infections going on. Things didn't look too promising."

Henry would end up spending 141 nights in hospital.

What made things even more challenging was the Covid pandemic, which limited parental access for the family who live on a farm in Goonumbla, about 40km north-west of Parkes.

"The whole time he was in hospital it was one parent allowed in at a time," Mr O'Brien said.

"I don't think you really realise until you've have a premmie baby what a long, challenging road it can be."

One thing that has made the past year easier has been the support from the Life's Little Treasures charity, which Mrs O'Brien utilises.

"They have an online Facebook group, so every Wednesday for a couple of hours, you can go on and chat to other mothers who have had a high risk pregnancy or something like that and you can compare notes and just talk," she said.

"You can find out ways to treat things like the cheek soreness he gets from the tape and stuff that might seem insignificant, but that makes a big difference. He is 13 months, but clearly not doing what a 13 month is doing, so to have that support has been really good."

As for Henry, he is on the road to recovery.

Mr O'Brien said his son's metabolic bone disease appeared to be self-correcting and that Henry could go up to 12 hours without being hooked up to oxygen, compared to three minutes when they first brought him home.

"It was an interesting time, but being around Ronald McDonald Houses, you realise that you might be having a tough time, but there's always someone else that will be having a tougher time," he added.

"Through all his problems and challenges, he's a happy little guy."

On Sunday, October 23 the annual Walk for Prems will be held to raise awareness for the 48,000 babies born sick or premature in Australia each year.

Over the past two years, the walk has primarily been held virtually, as a result of multiple lockdowns and restrictions.

In 2022, Walk for Prems returns to its original format, with the event being held in six physical locations, including Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth. Once again, a virtual walk option is also available.