Early diagnosis meant Archie was in the best place for life‑saving care from the very beginning. This is his story, told by his mum Nicola:
(The photos in this story were taken by and belong to the author, depicting their family’s personal journey.)
We found out our little boy, Archie, had transposition of the great arteries (TGA) at 23 weeks pregnant. We had been referred to Southampton by our local hospital on the Isle of Wight.
We planned a C-section delivery at the Princess Anne Hospital and it was perfect. The NICU team had him right next to us while they checked him over and attached him to monitors, and we even got a quick cuddle before they took him.
After a couple of hours in recovery, we were able to see him. Seeing him with wires everywhere was really hard, but he was doing well and we got plenty of cuddles.
He spent two days in the NICU before being transferred to Ocean Ward at Southampton General. The team there were amazing. They talked us through what was going to happen before, during and after surgery, answered any questions we had, and encouraged us to be involved in his care. It helped us feel as normal as possible while living in hospital.
Archie had his switch surgery at 11 days old. We said goodbye to him at 9am and didn’t see him again until 7.30 that evening. The surgeon was very happy with how the surgery went. Seeing him in the PICU was so scary, but it was such a relief just to hold his hand again.
His time in PICU wasn’t smooth sailing – his chest was left open for two days due to swelling, and he spent most of the time ventilated and under light sedation – but after six long days of not being able to hold him, we finally got cuddles again once he was off the ventilator.
Once he was back on Ocean Ward he recovered well, and we got home 15 days after surgery. Unfortunately, Archie developed a severe infection under his wound, and after just one week at home we were transferred back to Ocean Ward for another three weeks. He had multiple washouts and a VAC dressing on his chest the whole time.
Since being home again, he has been doing incredibly well. Coming up to four months old, he is the happiest boy. He loves playing with his big brother more than anything.
We are so grateful for everyone involved in his care.
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