Robyn: The Little Warrior Who Defied the Odds
The parents of one of Britain’s tiniest babies, Robyn, are overjoyed as they finally bring their ‘little warrior’ home after spending her entire young life in the hospital. Robyn Chambers weighed just 11 oz when she was born at 23 weeks gestation on March 8, 2023, at Grange Hospital in Cwmbran. As the smallest baby ever born in Wales, Robyn’s journey has been nothing short of miraculous, via the Express.
Robyn was immediately intubated and placed in a sandwich bag to keep her fragile organs warm, marking the beginning of a long and arduous stay in the hospital. For her parents, Chantelle and Daniel Chambers from Newport, this moment marked the start of a journey they never expected to embark on. Despite the many challenges, they never lost hope. “It was like a dream come true, really, after how long we spent in the hospital. It just seemed like it was never going to happen,” said Chantelle, 34.
Robyn spent a total of 18 months in the hospital, including her first birthday. Six months after her birth, she was transferred to the paediatric intensive care unit at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital in Cardiff, where she remained for seven months before returning to Grange Hospital for the final stretch of her recovery. In September 2024, her parents finally received the news they had been longing for—Robyn was well enough to go home.
For the Chambers family, the journey was filled with ups and downs. Chantelle recalled one of the hardest moments when they almost lost Robyn due to a chest infection in May. “That was a really difficult time,” she shared, “but since then, she’s just got stronger.” The past three months saw remarkable progress in Robyn’s condition, allowing her to reach a point where she could leave the hospital and be cared for at home.
Bringing Robyn home has allowed Chantelle and her husband, Daniel, 38, to finally reunite as a family. “When she was in the hospital, myself and my husband were doing 12-hour shifts each, so we were just seeing each other for an hour or two a day,” Chantelle said. “Now we actually see each other and are more of a family at home.”
Robyn’s fight is far from over, as she has been diagnosed with numerous complex medical conditions, including stage three hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and severe apnoea. She requires 24-hour care, which her parents are currently providing at home. Robyn is also fed through a nasogastric (NG) tube and will require continuous treatment and therapies as she grows.
Chantelle explained that her pregnancy was normal until her 20-week scan, where she was informed that her cervix had started to open slightly, putting her at risk of premature labor. “They kept me in the hospital after my 20-week scan just in case I did go into labor—she then came three weeks later,” Chantelle recalled. As first-time parents, the experience was both heartbreaking and overwhelming, but they remained hopeful despite doctors giving Robyn only a slim chance of survival. “They were really shocked, as they had never seen a baby so small,” Chantelle shared. “All the time we were in the hospital, they weren’t very optimistic—it was only in the last few months that they changed their opinion.”
Throughout her time in the hospital, Robyn has fought through numerous challenges, including multiple ventilations, sepsis, 16 blood transfusions, lumbar punctures, and abdominal surgery. Now that she is home, her parents are determined to give her the best chance at development by raising funds for essential treatments, therapies, and specialist equipment. Robyn will need items such as trikes, wheelchairs, and seating to aid her progress. The family aims to raise £100,000 to cover these expenses.
“We haven’t been able to do much fundraising ourselves because we have been in the hospital, but we have had many friends and family doing fundraising events, and they have managed to raise a lot,” Chantelle said gratefully. “We are very grateful to everyone who has donated so far.”
Despite the long road ahead, the Chambers family is embracing every precious moment with their little warrior, knowing that each day at home is a victory.