It’s a very Good Friday for Tom

The 2022 version of Tom is a typical two-year-old boy — he finds as much mischief as he can and keeps his mother on her toes, 24/7.

But at birth he provided his parents, Bec and Ricki, with all sorts of heartache and concerns.

Bec said her first pregnancy with six-year-old daughter Charlotte was complicated and she expected as much the second time around.

“Ricki and I are different blood types. During Tom’s pregnancy I had a placental bleed and I started to develop antibodies,” she said.

“In essence my immune system was targeting Tom’s red blood cells.

“We were told at 22 weeks that at a certain point he would have to come out.”

Through extraordinary management measures, blood tests three times a week, regular trips to specialist appointments at Bendigo and extreme care in all other situations, Bec made it to 37 weeks of the pregnancy.

Bendigo obstetrician Emma Buckland was the Battens’ doctor during the pregnancy.

“She was involved in Charlie’s (Charlotte) birth,” Bec said.

Tom was born via an emergency caesarian at Bendigo Hospital on January 3, 2020.

He was born with a congenital abnormality called an imperforate anus, which meant his bottom was completely closed over, and a (retro perineum) fistula had developed (which acts in a similar fashion to the bottom).

“He had a hole directly above where his bottom should have been and it was acted in the same capacity,” Bec said.

The situation, not picked up in pregnancy ultrasounds, was a complete shock for the parents as the fistula had allowed Tom’s system to operate close to normal.

"At three weeks they tried to do a surgery to open his bottom and close the fistula. That was completed by Beth Pennington, a paediatric surgeon at Bendigo,“ Bec said.

“Two or three days after the surgery the wound broke down and it became one enormous hole.

“Beth used to work at the Royal Children’s and she put me straight in touch with the department and we were transported by ambulance to the hospital.”

Royal Children’s Hospital surgeon Michael Nightingale explained that Tom would need a stoma (an opening in the abdomen to allow the removal of bodily waste) and colostomy bag.

The family’s time at the Royal Children’s Hospital was even more emotional as two weeks prior Bec’s father had died.

“I was there on my own while my husband was working and looking after our daughter,” she said.

“I had to handed over my baby twice in one week, for two general anaesthetics at the ripe old age of four weeks.”

Carmen, the Royal Children’s stoma specialist, explained to Bec that one in 5000 babies are born with the abnormality and she provided the family with details for the Stoma Association.

“They supplied us with all the things we would need to care for Tom,” Bec said.

“She taught me how to be creative and care for him properly.”

Having studied veterinary nursing and with a background in agriculture and veterinary science the medical terminology was not beyond Bec’s understanding — which made Tom’s journey a little more bearable.

"The hospital was amazing, if I was having trouble I would take photos and they would send things up.

“He had the stoma in place for six months, which was a great result.

“We had the advantage of being able to communicate with them from afar. If I couldn’t get a hold of Carmen I could communicate with Bendigo.”

Tom spent time in the Platypus ward, a neo-natal unit where each baby is allowed their own nurse.

“When I was initially told I couldn’t stay with him there I panicked, worried that he would be all alone. Then they explained a nurse would give him 100 per cent attention, one-on-one,” Bec said.

“It meant I could get some sleep. They supplied me with an after access key pass so I could use the lifts.

“Then they even communicated with me regularly to let me know how he was.”

Two years later Tom weighs in at 15kg and is running around like a champion.

“And a total boy, getting up to absolute mischief,” Bec said.

Bec understands how lucky she is to have had the hospital there to treat Tom, with friends of the family heartbreakingly losing their daughter to an undiagnosed disease.

"I remember having dinner with other mothers who were breast feeding. We would line up and be given a meal, and regularly ate together. I met some of the most amazing people there.

“Sharing a room with people whose kids had been through open heart surgery and other serious surgeries made me very appreciative of what had been done for Tom.”

Every Easter, Bec puts out a shout on Facebook to support the Royal Children’s Hospital’s annual Good Friday Appeal.

“Last year I started working with Laurie to count the funds and help the Lions. I donate the afternoon to them to assist with the cause and I will be there this year as well,” she said.