Amazing picture of premature baby and doting Dad

This amazing picture capturing the smiles of Welshpool Rugby player Andrew Thomas and his baby son Monty was taken by a Newtown photographer and hides the strains of a 10-week-long survival battle.

Because Montgomery Edward Todd (Monty) Thomas arrived on February 11th, weighing just 3lb 9ozs and 10 weeks early of his due date after mum Liz was rushed to Wrexham Maelor Hospital for an emergency caesarean operation.

The picture, taken on the toddler’s due arrival date on April 21st by Leri Lane Photography of Newtown, will be cherished for ever by Mum and Dad Andrew and Liz Thomas of Trewern near Welshpool and is already causing a stir on Facebook pages.

“On Montys due date we thought it would be nice to have a photo shoot with Leri Lane Photography at her Newtown studio as she also did a lot of our wedding pictures,” said Andrew.

“Leri was fantastic with Monty. She was a true baby whisperer getting him to settle into all his poses and positions.

“She caught some fantastic pictures of him but the one with me and him on the rugby ball topped the lot for us. The rugby ball was a gift from my best mate Tom Carter and with rugby being such a big part of my life we wanted a picture incorporating it.

“It was right at the end of a three-hour shoot and he was getting restless but Leri was patient and persistent in settling him and then even caught a smile from him.

“It’s an absolute priceless picture and one we will cherish forever.”

The family’s drama began on February 11th when midwife Rachel Morris rushed Liz to hospital by ambulance where doctors quickly diagnosed young Monty was in the breach position and carried out emergency delivery. 

“It was a shock for us to say the least,” said Liz. “He weighed 3lb 9oz, which was a healthy weight considering his early arrival and it took him a while to kick start, needing ventilation, stimulation and chest compressions.

“He took his first gasp after five minutes and was then given repository support, put into an incubator and taken to Intensive Care on the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU).

“He was weaned off high flow oxygen after two days and was then self-ventilating in normal air. He then moved from Intensive Care to High Dependency Unit for the next eight days where with tests and treatment his health kept on improving.

“He was then moved to Special Care where he went from strength to strength.

“Over the next 38 days he consistently gained weight and went from tube feeding to bottle and breast feeding. On March 30th, three weeks before his due date Monty was discharged weighing a little over 6lb. It was one of the best days of our lives,” she added.

“During the 48 days in hospital Liz rarely left his side staying in accommodation provided by the charity Cherish and doing everything a mother could to help their baby,” said Andrew.

“This accommodation was so precious to us living over 30 miles away from the hospital. I was commuting every night after work to spend what time I could with them both and then late at night trying to finish decorating the house which we were half way through. 

“The care provided by SCBU was exceptional and something we will never forget.

“Thanks to Rachel Morris, Cherish and SCBU Monty is home, healthy and happy. We will be forever grateful to them.”

Photographer Leri Lane is delighted with the image. “I love photographing precious newborns and this one is a really special picture,” she said.

“The opportunity to document a new little person is truly inspiring. I capture the new journey and love that already exists in such a tiny person. Each session is unique and its adorable to include the family interest to make it special for them.”

Mum and Dad, Liz and Andrew, also marked Monty’s due birth date by taking the baby on his first outing to the Mid Wales coast and toasting his health in champagne on the beach.