Injured tot shows he is a little fighter

Erica-Leigh Lawrence will never forget the moment doctors told her that her son Nathaniel may die.

Nathaniel suffered catastrophic head injuries as a seven-week-old in October at his Narrogin home and was rushed to Princess Margaret Hospital.

In the following days his family were warned he was unlikely to survive. However, he has defied the odds and is now showing several signs of improvement.

Nathaniel is now four months old and his mum says he has both good and bad days.

“Some things he is improving with and others he’s not,” she said. “The doctors were concerned about his muscle tone because it was so tight but he has physio every day and it is really improving.”

A recent scan showed fluid on the brain had increased.

Nathaniel will undergo another scan soon to see if there are any changes.

Ms Lawrence has moved from Narrogin to Perth to be with her son and sees daily improvements.

“He was drinking out of a bottle a few weeks ago and he has started to make some cute sounds that the doctors didn’t think would happen,” she said.

“His irritableness has settled a bit too since they changed his medication.”

How the infant was so badly hurt is being investigated by police.

The Narrogin Observer has been told the baby boy’s father was caring for him in the two days before he was rushed to hospital in Narrogin. It is understood the boy’s father called triple-zero, saying the baby was unresponsive.

Investigators have been in Narrogin as they try to piece together what happened.

Ms Lawrence said Nathaniel absolutely loved the water and had started kicking his legs and splashing around when being bathed. Nathaniel is still at PMH but has been discharged twice before being readmitted both times for irritableness and breathing issues.

“I have concerns about him being discharged too early again, so the doctors are reviewing him and checking on him closely every day,” Ms Lawrence said.

“I think he will be staying in for a little while longer this time.”

Ms Lawrence said while Nathaniel’s improvements might seem small to others, they are huge to the family, who have seen him come a really long way.