'Ghost baby' Pippa beats the odds
First on 7: The parents of a Sydney baby who was born without blood say they cannot believe she is alive.
Little Pippa Turner came into the world two months ago as white as a ghost, but she is now thriving.
At their Camden home with their two-month-old girl, the Turners are just happy things are normal.
But little Pippa's start to life was anything but after being born a ‘ghost baby’.
Mum Melissa said: “She was limp and white, and she looked like a ghost”
The condition is called a feto-maternal haemorrhage.
Pippa was born without any blood in her veins, leaving her as white as a sheet of paper and barely alive.
"I was just sitting there, not knowing anything until Andrew came in crying and I was thinking something's really wrong,” said Melissa.
Dad Andrew added: "Pippa, over a long period of time, had been slowly losing blood into Melissa, and that blood wasn't being replenished."
It took 45 minutes of CPR to revive Pippa followed by blood transfusions.
The young couple was only able to bring home their baby after five weeks in hospital.
The condition is rare and even fewer children survive, with a handful of cases having been reported in the US and UK.
Baby Pippa isn't out of the woods just yet and it is still unclear what effect the lack of oxygen in those early hours will have and there is still the small chance of some brain damage.
Dr John Darcy said: "The chances of survival are made all the better because of our excellent neo natal services. That's what really helped this baby."
So far, Pippa's meeting every goal on the way to being a happy healthy girl. Her parents know they're lucky.
“She's one unique little girl,” said Andrew.
