A mum-to-be who went on a luxury holiday before the birth of her first baby was stunned after her little girl made a surprise early arrival – leaving her stranded in Greece for months.
Robyn Bishop, 29, flew to Crete with partner Stephen Howe, 32, for a luxurious stay at a five-star adults only resort in April 2022.
She was 29 weeks pregnant, and had been signed off as fit to fly by her doctor. But just two days after landing in Greece, Robyn’s waters broke and baby Flora arrived six weeks early.
The new family then couldn’t get home because little Flora was declared too premature to fly by their insurance company.
The trio finally landed back in the UK in June after two months abroad, via a medical repatriation flight.
Mental health nurse Robyn, who lives in Northampton, says: ‘I’m so traumatised by the whole experience.
‘I’m a first-time mum with a premature baby and we were just stuck out there in another country with no help, it’s been so difficult.
‘We were calling the insurance company seven times a day, just trying to find a way back to the UK. We were desperate to get home.
‘I’m just so relieved that Flora is here safe and sound. It was unlikely I could have children easily naturally due to having PCOS, so she is certainly my miracle baby!’
With their first child together due on June 24, Robyn and Stephen had jetted off on a ‘babymoon’ in Greece.
‘We actually booked our holiday before we got pregnant and then decided to use it as a babymoon as I’d still be safe to fly,’ says Robyn.
‘We had been struggling with the idea of having a baby and the realities of it.
‘We were pretty rocky as a relationship and had hoped some time, just the two of us, without life’s stresses would give us an opportunity to reconnect before our baby arrived.’
The peace of their last holiday without a baby was soon disturbed, however, when Robyn’s waters broke as she sat down on a chair on the hotel room balcony on the second day of their trip.
She was rushed to Venizeleio Hospital in Heraklion by ambulance, where medical staff administered medication to try and stop the contractions and halt the premature labour.
Despite the doctor’s attempts at delaying the birth, Robyn and Stephen’s child was in no mood to wait and baby Flora was born a few weeks later on May 13 via caesarean.
Robyn says: ‘Nobody spoke any English and they weren’t explaining what they were doing so I was just having drugs pumped into me without knowing what medication it was.
‘After the c-section, I woke up to no baby. I didn’t see Flora for two days, and then only saw her once a week.
‘I was in hospital for four weeks and we only saw her four times and were allowed to touch her twice. It was horrible.’
After being discharged from the hospital last month, Robyn, Stephen and baby Flora were left trapped in Greece and are struggling to get back to the UK.
Robyn claims their medical insurance company stated that premature Flora was unfit to fly due to arriving six weeks early. She adds that they did offer an ambulance to take them back to the UK, but says doctors advised against the four-day trip with a premature baby.
The family were stuck in Greece for eight weeks and had to change accommodation four times, spending a whopping £5,000 on finding a place to stay.
‘I have PTSD from everything that has happened and I’m so frightened of pain that I have a breakdown every time I have to change my dressing,’ says Robyn.
‘Only time will tell how this will leave us – we’re still going through it and have both experienced our own traumas throughout. We’re still learning how to communicate and share these experiences.’
Prior to the flight, a spokesperson for Staysure Insurance, who use Mayday as their global assistance company for customers, said: ‘Our priority is to ensure that baby Flora gets the best care possible, which is why we have been closely liaising with our medical team on the ground, and the doctors at the hospital, to discuss the safest way to get the family back home to the UK.
‘Various options were explored, including transfer by road ambulance with a specialised medical team, however, despite the doctors declaring baby Flora fit to fly home on a commercial flight, Mayday, our 24/7 global assistance company, overruled the decision and instead have arranged her transfer by air ambulance, to ensure the safest and most comfortable journey home for them all.
‘We’re pleased to say that an air ambulance is scheduled for tomorrow morning [June 8] for repatriation. The family have been contacted with final arrangements and we look forward to welcoming them home.
‘Staysure always strive to deliver the best travel insurance so our customers can travel confidently knowing we’re there for them when they need us.’
Although still dealing with the trauma of their rocky start to family life, Robyn and Stephen are pleased to be back and are settling in with Flora at home.
‘The journey honestly was a dream,’ she says.
‘The ambulance crew came to the apartment and checked her vital signs to ensure she was fit to fly. They went through some questions about her birth, treatment following it and my pregnancy and they then put her in the pod and into the ambulance.
‘We were put in a taxi and we all went to the consulate to pick up her passport. From there, we drove to the airport and went through the crew security and straight onto the plane.
‘The paramedics were incredible and instructed us to go to sleep if we could and they’d handle any feeds/nappies. It took just over four hours and we were in Luton.
‘Flora slept the whole way, only waking for a feed. She was hooked up to a heart rate monitor where they tracked her O2 levels and was strapped into a cosy pod.
‘When we landed, she went in an ambulance and us in a taxi to my mum’s address where we were all finally reunited with family.’
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