Lillie

When Lillie’s mum was just nine weeks pregnant, she and her family were informed that their unborn baby had gastroschisis, which is a rare condition where the abdominal wall doesn’t form correctly, causing the bowel to develop outside the baby’s body.

Gastroschisis affects only 1 in 3,000 babies a year and operations to treat it can only be done in a specialised children’s hospital with full paediatric surgery facilities such as Alder Hey.

In January 2025, 37 weeks into her pregnancy, Ainsley gave birth to Lillie, who weighed 4lb 8oz. Straight after her birth, Lillie was blue-lighted to Alder Hey and, at just two hours old, underwent her first surgery. The surgery team successfully completed the bowel closure surgery in a two-hour operation.

After three weeks in Alder Hey, she made excellent progress and was discharged home and hasn’t looked back since.

Since her discharge, Lillie has recovered amazingly and spent precious time with her family, including her big brother Louie (7), her young uncle Leyland (9), and their small dog, Rocco.

Her mum, Ainsley, said:

“We’ve had no problems at all since Lillie was discharged. It’s like she never had a birth defect! I honestly cannot thank Alder Hey enough – if it wasn’t for them, my little girl wouldn’t be here. The staff were absolutely amazing, not just for Lillie, but for us as a family too. Alder Hey staff deserve capes because all of them are heroes. The hospital holds a very special place in mine and Lillie’s heart, and I cannot thank them enough.”

Babies like Lillie will benefit from a new state-of-the-art Surgical Neonatal Intensive Care Unit developed at Alder Hey, as part of the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership (LNP). The LNP is a collaboration between Alder Hey and Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, aimed at transforming and improving the delivery of neonatal care for families across the North West.

For conditions like gastroschisis, the new unit will allow babies to receive life-saving care without delay in a purpose-built environment. The co-location of neonatal and surgical services will minimise transfers, reduce critical treatment delays, and provide a more seamless, family-centred experience, ensuring the best outcomes for our most vulnerable children.