Premature baby Hope's survivalÂ inspires mum Sarah to sign up for this year's Great South RunÂ Â

Sarah Davies' daughter Hope was born prematurely at just 25 weeks '“Â and now Sarah is setÂ to take on the Simplyhealth Great South Run to raise money for the charity thatÂ supported her in the aftermath of her birth. Hope weighed just 2lbs when she was born in April 2014 and spent the first 10 weeks of her life in the neonatal unit in the Queen Alexandra hospital inÂ Cosham, where she was put into quarantine and had numerous bloodÂ transfusions. Hope's situation was devastating for her parents Sarah and Paul, who hadÂ suffered a pregnancy loss two months before falling pregnant with their daughter. Despite the odds being stacked against her, Hope was able to return home aÂ month before her original due date. She came home on oxygen and had regularÂ visits from nurses, but eventually became oxygen free that October. Hope, who is now four, is now thriving and is preparing to start school later thisÂ year and Sarah decided that she wanted to run 10 miles in support other familiesÂ and their babies who go through a similar thing. During her time in hospital, she learned of the Ickle Pickles charity who providedÂ her with support and guidance during a period of uncertainty. Sarah, 33, said: '˜I suffered a pregnancy loss at two days short of 20 weeks inÂ 2014. After a post-mortem we were still none the wiser and got referred to ourÂ consultant to look after us during future pregnancies. '˜Two months later we fell pregnant again and I was apprehensive and decidedÂ we should call this bump Hope because we were hopeful it would goÂ well. '˜Everything was going great until my 20 week scan, this was a milestone for meÂ as I hadn't made it this far previously. '˜Following the scan I was wheeled into the labour ward and told that there wasÂ only an 11 per cent chance that the baby would survive as I was 4.2cm dilated! '˜I had a cervical stitch put in and was put on bed rest in the hospital until theÂ baby was born. I managed to hold on for five weeks but at 25 weeks I went intoÂ natural labour again and despite the efforts, Hope was born 14 weeks and twoÂ days early. '˜She weighed just 2lb, which is 907 grams. I saw her for about five seconds before she was whisked away to the neonatal unit. '˜This was so hard and we were full of mixed motions, we knew we had a veryÂ bumpy road ahead. '˜I tried to make myself useful by changing her incubator blankets every day andÂ when allowed buying outfits for her and changing her. This made me feel like aÂ mum being able to have some control on the decisions for my daughter. '˜It took two weeks before we were able to hold her and this was the best feeling ever. '˜After spending months in hospital, we were finally able to bring her home andÂ use all of the things we had bought for her. We've never looked back. '˜I learned about the work of Ickle Pickles through our own experience and I tryÂ to get involved as much as I can. Without their support Hope may not be here so IÂ decided to run the Simplyhealth Great South Run on their behalf.' Every runner has a story, it's time to start yours. Enter the Simplyhealth GreatÂ South Run here.Â