Clydebank 'miracle' girl born weighting 1lb starts primary

Orla Karen Gallacher, from Clydebank, is starting Whitecrook Primary today (Monday, August 17), something her mum Lynsey Bathgate called a “milestone”.

Orla, who recently turned five years old, was born premature at just 25 weeks old, weighing under one pound, something that doctors had no explanation for.

Lynsey told the Clydebank Post: “I had no idea I was pregnant. I found out when I was 12 weeks gone, and then 12 weeks later, Orla came crashing into the world.”

Since Orla came so early, Lynsey was working all the way up until the birth.

Orla was born in 2021 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and she was put in an incubator for three months.

Orla when she was first born in intensive care (Image: Supplied)

Lynsey added: “She was obviously given high-pressure oxygen, so she automatically got chronic lung disease because of the scarring from it and because she was so small.

“She is still on daily medication for that, inhalers, steroid inhalers and things, but it does not stop her.

“You would never know.”

Orla also had issues with her pulmonary valve which was found when she was born.

Speaking on the realities of Orla’s birth, Lynsey said: “It’s not very often they see babies born that young, that are so unwell who still make it.

“So, it was a miracle really.

“When she was born, she was so transparent.

“It wasn't even day by day; we were living minute by minute when we were in there because we were in intensive care.”

Doctors told her Orla wouldn’t live past 24 hours.

“I saw her getting stronger and stronger every day and getting bigger and bigger every day,” said Lynsey.

“I could see it myself that she was going to make it.

“She wasn't going anywhere.”

Lynsey Bathgate (Image: Supplied)

It was during Covid that Orla was born, which meant that family were restricted from visiting and offering support in the hospital, and due to her condition both Lynsey and Orla’s dad couldn’t touch Orla for multiple weeks, something Lynsey said was “really tough”.

Orla could only be touched through gloves into the side of the incubator.

Due to the situation, Lynsey couldn’t stay at the hospital overnight and instead had to go home each evening.

She said: “It was horrible. I spent most of my time just crying. I was living in a nightmare.

“If she wasn't premature, I would have been in a mother and baby unit, and I would have been able to stay with her. She was so unwell.

“It was especially hard as people kept telling me that she needs bodily contact from day one.”

They recently celebrated her fifth birthday which was seen as a major milestone as Lynsey explained that children with these types of heart complications often do not survive beyond the age of five without heart surgery.

Orla ready for her first day of primary 1 (Image: Supplied)

Speaking about Orla now, Lynsey said: “She's the smartest wee girl. She’s something else, sometimes I'm like, 'Where did I get you from'? And then I see parts of me in her and I'm like, 'oh my god'.

“She loves dancing and singing.

“She's such a friendly, sweet girl, she wants to cuddle everybody.”

Orla has moved up from Whitecrook Nursery, which feeds into her new primary school, something she is mainly excited about.

“She does say she's a wee bit nervous,” added Lynsey, “because she's not going to see Elaine, who was her teacher in nursery.

“But I keep telling her she will see her, she’ll still see her in the dinner hall and everything.”

Orla is one of many children across West Dunbartonshire beginning their first day at school, or returning for another year after the summer break.