A COUPLE today praised doctors and nurses for saving their baby’s life after she stopped breathing following birth.

Kezia and Paddy Higginson, from Blackburn, were thrilled at the birth of their baby daughter Tabitha.

However, their elation soon turned to concern after Tabitha stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated around five times.

Tabitha is now four-months-old and doing really well and her parents say to look at her, you would never know the dramatic start she had to life.

They have spoken of their gratitude to the staff at Burnley Teaching Hospital who saved her life.

Kezia, 28, saidd: “During my pregnancy, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes which came out of the blue.

“I managed to control it by diet for five weeks and then I was put on insulin for the rest of the pregnancy.

“I had regular growth scans and at 36 weeks, Tabitha’s weight was not increasing so they had to induce her.”

After being induced, Kezia gave birth rapidly with doctors needing to get Tabitha out quickly as she was in distress and her heartbeat was slowing down.

Medics used a ventouse, which is a vacuum device to aid delivery. Tabitha was born weighing 6lbs 7oz on June 20.

Paddy, a music teacher working at Blackburn and Darwen Music Service and a part-time musician who plays in a band, said: “Tabitha was wrapped in her umbilical cord.

"She cried and they lay her on Kezia but then she stopped breathing.

“As soon as they put her on Kezia’s chest, you could tell by the faces of the medical team that something was not right, but they stayed calm and in control.

“It was a real shock when they said she wasn’t breathing and they took Tabitha to the back of the room to resuscitate her."

Around 12 medics fought to save the little baby.

Doctors managed to stabilise Tabitha and took her into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the Lancashire Women and Newborn Centre at Burnley Teaching Hospital where the planned to help her with her breathing.

But after being admitted to NICU, Tabitha began breathing for herself and was soon well enough to go home with her relieved parents.

Paddy said: “You hear so much about the NHS in politics and there are many people who say NHS staff deserve more pay and I completely agree.

“It is only when you are on the receiving end of care that you fully appreciate how hard they work."

Kezia, a secondary school teacher, said: “We feel very lucky and are very grateful to all the staff at the hospital who cared for her and us.

“Looking at her, it is hard to believe the traumatic start she had to life.

“We have been telling everyone how good the staff are at Burnley and how they could not have their baby in a better place.”

Dr Naharmal Soni, consultant neonatologist at NICU, said: “Sometimes, babies are born at full-term but require a brief admission to the neonatal unit and this can be worrying for parents as they are not mentally prepared for that.

“It is heartening that Tabitha was dealt with so quickly and had a happy outcome.”