Not long after Kayden Rayment was born, his family was told to say goodbye.
The baby and his twin Aria were delivered last year at just over 26 weeks at Sydney’s Royal Women’s Hospital – three months early.
Kayden’s little lungs, in particular, were not fully developed and his mum Amanda said their doctor prepared her and husband Luke, 39, for the worst.
“They said, ‘He’s got zero chance of survival’,” she told 9news.com.au.
“He said, ‘You need to come down and say goodbye.'”
However, Kayden did survive that night.
It was touch-and-go for a long time, with his parents even called to farewell him again a month later.
But again, he clung to life.
“We cuddled him and held him for hours,” Rayment said.
“He started to improve, his colour came back, his stats were getting better.
“He just perked up, it was amazing.”
After that, Kayden continued to improve and was eventually moved to Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick intensive care unit and finally to the hospital’s C1 South unit.
And after spending his whole life in hospital, he was well enough to come home to the family in Matraville in time for Christmas just days ago, aged 14 months.
Aria was also in hospital for 100 days and also missed last Christmas.
This year, there will be an extra special celebration in the Rayment home.
“It’s all our first Christmas together,” Rayment said.
“I’m still in shock that he’s home.
“He proved them wrong every time.”
Bad news after being told it was twins
Amanda and Luke, a help desk worker, were staggered when they were told they were having twins.
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The couple already had daughter Alera, who is almost three.
But medics told them there were problems with their babies at 13 weeks scan and they were given the option of terminating the pregnancy.
One twin was not expected to survive, they were told.
But they opted to continue.
And on September 19, 2022, Rayment was told she had to deliver the twins by emergency cesarean, even though it was months early.
Both newborns were both rushed off into incubators, with Kayden in a particularly bad way.
“It was a very horrible experience,” she said.
Kayden weighed 877g and Aria 928g – both less than a bag of sugar.
Against the odds, both survived.
Special Christmas plans
While the family hopes the worst is over, Kayden is still tube-fed and is on a ventilator to help him breathe.
“They’re hoping once he grows, we’ll be able to get rid of it,” Rayment said.
Because he has a tracheotomy, he is unable to speak or make any noise – but Rayment said she has detected a few laughs.
“The other day I did hear him laugh, it was very soft, so that was amazing,” she said.
The family plans to give all of the children a memorable Christmas with other relatives set to gather to celebrate.
But she admits Kayden will get special attention.
He’s getting a kids’ guitar, as he loved music therapy in hospital, as well as some drums.
”I look at him and he just brightens my day. Knowing that he’s made it though, I can’t believe it,” Rayment said.
Staff at Sydney Children’s Hospital said they were “privileged” to care for Kayden.
“We are part of a very wide range of clinical and allied health staff that have worked to get him discharged after 436 days in hospital in time to enjoy Christmas at home with his sisters and parents for the first time,” Wendy Londal, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Paediatric Chronic & Complex Care, said.
