Born at 33 weeks’ gestation, Konrad Kiley was in Monash Medical Centre for the first nine months of his life battling gastroschisis, a condition where the baby’s intestines grow outside their body. 

Wodonga first-time mum Shannyn Kiley had gone into early labour when Konrad’s bowel ruptured.

“I had a natural birth in Melbourne but when he came out the bowel had perforated,” she said.

“His bowel was black and dark and dead and it was quite scary.”

Born on October 28 weighing just 1.3 kilograms, Konrad had three operations in his first four days to repair the defect. Surgeons saved 27 centimetres of Konrad’s bowel, a fraction of a newborn’s normal 250 centimetres.

Ms Kiley said the first six months had been critical with three more surgeries to follow the initial procedures.

“Each time he’d come out of surgery I’d be so overwhelmed because I thought it might have been our last goodbye,” she said.

“We had the problems of a preemie baby as well as countless resuscitations.”

Ms Kiley found out during her 12-week ultrasound in Albury about Konrad’s condition, which was depriving him of nutrients.

“He was too small and they did fortnightly scans and then weekly scans,” she said.

“They were really just waiting for there to be no heartbeat.”

In fighting style, Konrad hung on and showed the resilience that would serve him well in hospital.

“In the first month he was poked and prodded so frequently for blood sugars that now I can do it when he’s asleep and he doesn’t even wake up; his pain threshold is incredible,” Ms Kiley said.

Ms Kiley said Konrad was connected to a feed pump 20 hours a day and had four different medications.

He has arterial lines to his heart and stomach until he reaches about school age.

“It’s the little logistics of what keeps this baby alive; medically he’s a little miracle!” she said.

Staying at Ronald McDonald House, Ms Kiley said Konrad hit many milestones during his short visits there.

His first smile and independent sitting happened among doting staff who became their family. 

“He gained lots of developmental skills in their play room,” Ms Kiley said.

“His six-month Bayley (Scales of Infant Development) showed he’s not lagging behind on anything.”

Hospital staff gave Ms Kiley and Konrad an emotional sendoff before they returned to the Border on Tuesday.

“I’ve learnt to be his carer and nurse and now I can be his mum,” Ms Kiley said.

“It was his longest car trip (to Wodonga); the first time he’d slept in his own cot.

“Everything has been really delayed but finally we’re home.”