Mother-to-be, Hollie Boston, was excited, and getting to the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy when her daughter Ava decided to make a rushed entry into the world. She was 14 weeks early. This is their story...It’s 2.30 in the morning on August17.

Lying in bed asleep, I wake to cramps, thinking nothing of it, I roll over. I’m tossing and turning, getting up and down.

I can’t take it anymore, so I wake my husband Stephen.

We think it must be food poisoning, so we wake our son Reed (who is two and a half) and head up to the hospital, only to find out I am in labour.

Stephen and I look at each other in shock.

I am only 26weeks pregnant!

Once reality set in, we focus on getting her out safely.

As I am still getting contractions, we wait for the doctors from Brisbane to arrive. After an emergency caesarean at 11.48a.m., our little girl, Ava Jane Deanna Boston was born, weighing a tiny 930grams. Little Ava was transferred to Brisbane straight after birth, while I was transferred the next day, with Stephen following behind us.

We were amazed to see this tiny, precious girl lying there fighting for her life. Stephen could only stay a week, then had to go back to work. He came with our son to see us when he could and when we could afford it.

Ava got down to 820grams in weight and only got back to birth weight by Day 10. Ava had to be on C-Pap (continous positive airway pressure is a method of respitory ventilation commonly used for critically ill patients in hospital and premature babies) to help her breath.

With each day she got better breathing by herself and was off it by 23days. The next mile-stone was to reach 1000grams, which she did at four weeks-old (31weeks gestation).

The next goal was to try and get her closer to home, and at seven weeks-old (34weeks gestation) she was transferred to Toowoomba Base Hospital. And at 7 1/2weeks old, she reached her next goal, which was to be out of the incubator and into a opened cot.

Ava is now eight weeks-old (35weeks Gestation) and weighing 1895grams.