A mum who has been stuck in Greece after unexpectedly going into labour may not be able to bring her new baby home for at least another six months. Thurza Blagg was rushed to hospital in Rhodes on May 12 after her waters suddenly broke despite only being 28-weeks pregnant.
The 32-year-old, who was given medication to delay labour, claimed delays by her insurance company AXA meant the opportunity to fly her home - which they deny. Thurza told how she was left feeling unsafe due to the language barrier and “no clear birth plan” after being transferred to Alexandra Hospital in Athens.
She gave birth to her son, who weighed a little over one kilogram, on May 2 with medics telling her that he remains in a “critical but stable” condition. The new mum said: “I was told he'll be in the incubator for a minimum of three months, and it will be a lot longer before he is fit to fly.
“I'm not leaving this country until I can take my baby home.” Thurza, who lost her partner Paul Ahad to suicide in January, has only seen her baby a handful of times due to his condition, the Manchester Evening News reports.
On May 6, Thurza went to Rhodes with her mum Kim, who was celebrating her 60th birthday. She had received a fit-to-fly letter ahead of her trip but just two days before she was due to return to Nottingham, she began bleeding.
Recalling the moments after giving birth, she said: “They showed me the baby and it was a beautiful moment. I only got to see him for two seconds but I connected with his big brown eyes, which are just like Paul's.
"That baby is Paul, there's nothing of me in him apart from his strength. That baby is Paul through and through. I connected with him, looked in his eyes and then he was gone.”
She added: “When I see him I can't see his eyes because he's wrapped up, you can't touch him. It's hard, and then I'm seeing a family who are loving their baby and making a fuss of him.”
Thurza, who is not sure whether she herself is fit to fly home, says she will be remaining in Athens until her baby is ready to come home, which she says could be at least six months.
She has requested the help of the British Embassy as restrictions would only allow her to legally stay in Greece for 90 days.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: "We are supporting a British family in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities."
AXA confirmed that it would be covering Ms Blagg with the accommodation for the rest of her stay, as well as the family's eventual return home.
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