Couple stuck in Spain after baby born prematurely

A woman who gave birth three months prematurely while on holiday in Spain has said she and her partner are stuck abroad but cannot afford to stay.

Cai Daniels, 26, and Alis Lloyd, 20, were on their "babymoon" in Tenerife when Ms Lloyd unexpectedly went into labour.

She gave birth to George at the University Hospital of the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria.

Although George is in a stable condition, the couple, from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, said their insurance did not cover their accommodation and living costs and they have been told they will need to stay in Spain for the next eight weeks.

Mr Daniels was booked to play golf when his partner went into labour.

"It was meant to be a relaxing break before we kicked into gear," he said.

"We’ve just moved house, so we haven’t finished the nursery. Obviously, we thought we had another three months."

George was born at 21:40 on 19 July, weighing 3lbs. He is now breathing on his own but still requires a feeding tube.

The couple described having a baby abroad as a "stressful" experience.

"The language barrier was a bit of a struggle. I couldn’t see Cai, and Cai couldn’t see me," Ms Lloyd said.

"I didn’t know anything about the baby, and no-one could understand me."

Mr Daniels had to wait in a corridor while George was being delivered.

"I had no signal on my phone and my phone was dying," he said.

"So I waited for an hour. Then I saw this incubator go past with lights on it and George was in there.

"I had everyone ringing me asking what was going on and I had no idea!”

The couple said they still had not come to terms with what happened: "We just keep looking at each other and saying: ‘I can’t believe we’ve had a baby in Tenerife!'"

They first got to hold baby George five days after his birth.

"It was so amazing. It helped us realise for the first time that we actually have a baby, it gave us such a boost," said Mr Daniels.

"We were told to keep reading to him, so I quickly tried to download Kindle on my phone.

"The only thing I could get was Harry Potter, so I was sat there reading Harry Potter to a five-day-old baby."

As George was born prematurely, the couple have been told that it may be up to eight weeks before they can fly home.

Their insurance does not cover any compensation for accommodation or living costs and their hotel is an hour away from the hospital.

They are planning to move closer to the baby once Ms Lloyd has recovered from her C-section.

A round trip in a taxi to the hospital costs about 200 euros and the couple estimate that paying for travel and accommodation will cost them £6,000.

Mr Daniels considered leaving Tenerife to work in order to make the extra money.

"I’m self-employed, so I have to be in the UK to earn. It was petrifying, to be honest," he said.

On Thursday, a friend of Mr Daniels set up a fundraising page to help the new parents and has raised more than £3,000 already.

Ms Lloyd said: "My mother’s had people come up to her in the street asking how they can help."

"We felt uneasy because we’re not the type of people to ask for help," Mr Daniels added.

"We’re so grateful. It’s just beyond our wildest dreams."