Support Rachael and Steven Carlyon with their baby's NICU journey

Rachael and Steven Carlyon are about to welcome their precious baby boy into the world.

Prenatal scans have revealed that baby has a cleft lip and there is a possiblity of cleft palate as well (they will find out more when he is born).

Baby will be born at Christchurch Women's, where he will spend two days with Rachael before being transferred to NICU. An all too familiar journey for this family. Having navigated a similar path with their firstborn, Mason, who spent 47 days in NICU after arriving two months early.

Initially, baby will require a feeding tube until he learns to feed from a specialized bottle designed for babies with cleft lip and palate.

Baby will undergo surgery around 3-5 months, again at 9-12 months, and potentially additional procedures in the future to support his ongoing development.