Car baby defies odds
PEYTON Serenity's birth was anything but serene.
The Silkstone baby was born in a car on Grange Rd in the pouring rain, purple and seven weeks premature.
She was delivered by her grandmother on January 27 and weighed just 970g.
Peyton spent the past 12 weeks in special care in hospital, but has arrived home in time for Mother's Day.
Mum Danielle Bond, father Jarren Shapcott, sister Layla and grandmother Ronda Benedict are delighted to have her home.
"She's amazing, we visited her every day for 12 weeks, but having her here with us is so much better," Ms Bond said.
They shared Peyton's remarkable story with The Queensland Times to celebrate her strength and show their support for other families who have gone through similar struggles.
Ms Bond said her mother Ronda was her hero, especially because of the role she played in Peyton's birth.
"I don't think we could've done it without her," Ms Bond said.
"We'd moved back to Ipswich to be close to mum while I was pregnant, but just imagine if she wasn't with us.
"I'd been to the hospital at 3am, but I told there was a 99% chance I wouldn't give birth within the next week.
"I thought I was having fake contractions, so I went out and did my shopping in the daytime despite the pain; I didn't believe it was going to happen.
"I decided to call the ambulance again at 4pm because the contractions still hadn't stopped, but mum told me she'd take me straight to hospital.
"She's a worrier, but I also knew something was wrong."
"We were on our way when I told mum to pull over near where Bremer High used to be.
"I realised it was way too late."
In the minutes that followed, father Jarren Shapcott called for help and grandmother Ronda Benedict tried to calm Ms Bond down.
"We were all crying, but mum took charge and sat me down in the car and in minutes I'd given birth," Ms Bond said.
"It was raining and Peyton was tiny and purple, mum had cleared her throat but she wasn't breathing."
Dad Jarren Shapcott said the day was the scariest of his life.
"I knew it was happening too early, and seeing her not breathing, we didn't know if she was alive."
An ambulance arrived shortly after the birth, and Peyton was resuscitated and placed in intensive care for the next three months.
"As well as being premature, Peyton has Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS)," Ms Bond said.
Peyton has the classic PRS symptoms of a cleft palate and respiratory problems, and still requires high care.
Mr Shapcott said he and Ms Bond had worked hard to get Peyton home.
"We learnt how to use the suction machine to help her breathing, and a lot of other things," he said.
Mr Shapcott said Peyton was definitely a miracle baby.
"I looked up how many babies are born under one kilo, and how many have PRS, and Peyton having both and now being this healthy, she's really special," he said.
