Doctors were sceptical about Pixie surviving past the first hour, and they told Sharon as much.
Pixie was rushed to intensive care, where doctors did all they could to keep her alive. She was no bigger than her mother’s hand, weighed less than a bag of sugar, and was extremely delicate.
It transpired that the doctors had no equipment small enough to keep Pixie warm – until one of them had a brainwave.
Although the concept was rather odd, no one else had a better suggestion as to how to ensure the little girl maintained the correct body temperature.
Sandwich bag
Pixie was placed into a small, sealable plastic bag from a supermarket and then rushed to the neonatal intensive care department.
This method may sound strange – possibly even dangerous – but it’s actually been used before.
According to the New York Times, the skin of such prematurely born babies releases fluid too fast. Storing them in a plastic bag or wrapping them in foil can actually warm them better than a regular blanket.
One of the doctors at the hospital confirmed that it’s not uncommon to place premature babies in plastic bags if they’re having difficulty regulating their temperature.
As per the Telegraph, Sharon said: “It was so random that they had her in the Tesco bag – it must have just been what the operating theatre had at the time.”
Sharon was obviously fearful for her newborn daughter, but also hopeful in the knowledge that the doctors working on her were highly skilled.
For 18 long days, she couldn’t hold her daughter because doing so could cause her to lose even more weight. For Pixie, that could have meant her life.