"He was cold to the touch. It was quite surreal and scary to see him like that."
Kāpiti couple Nate and Rachel were elated to hear the IVF process was over and Rachel was pregnant with her first child.
But, after delivery in the Parapraumu Birthing Suite, what should have been a moment of joy quickly turned into distress when Bentley didn’t respond as normal. “It was bloody scary".
They needed the Wellington NICU team fast.
The Wellington Westpac Rescue Helicopter briefly touched down on the Wellington Hospital helipad to collect a NICU doctor and continued up to Kapiti.., where Fire and Emergency NZ closed the road so the chopper could land on the street. The NICU doctor rushed inside, whilst crew member Mike supported Nate.
Bentley was transported to Wellington NICU on a cooling mat to keep him in the hypothermic state, Mum and Dad following by car.
In a few days, their baby Bentley had made a full recovery and each day since has been moving from strength to strength.
“I got quite emotional seeing my wife hold our son... he was just the most beautiful boy, and after waiting so long, he was here, and we could hold him”.