Mum's thank you to Liverpool Women's after baby girl born weighing just 606 grams

April and Max Lyon are proud parents to their baby daughter Vienna, and are experiencing all the joys that parenthood brings. But Vienna, who was born at just 24 weeks gestation, is only here thanks to the lifesaving care she received at Liverpool Women's Hospital.

In March this year, April gave birth to Vienna in Manchester, where she and Max live and work as doctors. April had been admitted to hospital earlier in the week with back and stomach pain, but was given the all-clear and told that there was only a "one in 1,000 chance" that she would go into early labour.

Unfortunately, those assurances proved optimistic. Vienna was born three days later, weighing a tiny 606 grams. She entered the world surrounded by dozens of medics who battled to save her life and get her breathing.

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In Manchester, there were no level three intensive care beds available for Vienna, so the hospital began searching for a bed elsewhere in the UK. It turned out a bed was available just down the M62 in Liverpool, and at 3am, Vienna was blue-lighted to Liverpool Women's Hospital for treatment.

For April and Max, it was a huge relief to know she would be going to their "second home". The couple met at university in Liverpool, and they both have siblings living in the city. April, 33, who is originally from Belfast, told the ECHO: "We could have been sent anywhere in the UK, but we were sent to Liverpool. It was meant to be. The city looked after so well as students, and it felt like coming full circle."

Over the next four-and-a-half months, April and Max endured an emotional rollercoaster as Vienna's survival was touch and go. April said: "We were in shock. It felt like being in Jumanji - we were thrown into a different world. Every day we thought she would die.

"One minute she was fine and we felt hopeful, and the next minute everything would go wrong. We just kept thinking, 'today will be the day we get the bad news, it's going to be us next'. Being doctors, we're used to delivering the bad news, but in this situation we had no control - we had to be parents."

Vienna suffered a number of medical complications. She had sepsis, as well as serious heart, lung and eye problems. She underwent heart surgery at Alder Hey hospital and later went to Great Ormand Street Hospital in London for surgery on her eyes to stop her going blind.

In all, she stayed in five different neo-natal units between March and July, but her 10 weeks at Liverpool Women's Hospital were crucial to her recovery. April and Max cannot praise the hospital's staff enough for their support and care through the couple's most difficult moments.

April said: "We went to lots of different places and saw the good and bad everywhere. But Liverpool really stood out as an amazing place. We were sent there at night with nothing on us and they treated us so kindly. The nurses were amazing - so lovely. When we left Vienna's bedside at night, they would keep us updated by messaging us on an app about how she was doing. It made such a difference. They really went above and beyond."

Vienna was eventually discharged and is now thriving at home in Manchester. She is still on oxygen and suffers with lung disease and vision problems, but according to her mum, these are things that will "hopefully get better over time".

Long after Vienna left Liverpool, the staff at the Women's Hospital didn't forget the family. When doctors in Manchester decided not to offer the baby life-saving medicine to protect her against RSV (a respiratory virus) this winter, consultants in Liverpool stepped in to help. April explained: "They agreed she was high risk and personally wrote letters of support to ensure she was given this medicine and prevent severe sickness over winter. They stuck by us even after we had long left the unit."

Now, April and Max are keen to let people know just how great the Women's Hospital is at providing care for babies and their families. April told us: "We feel that this team and hospital should be publicly acknowledged and celebrated for the fantastic work they do, often with no thanks or recognition. We know that without a doubt, if Vienna had not been sent to Liverpool, she likely wouldn’t be here."