A Wiltshire couple are facing tens of thousands of pounds worth of medical bills after their son was born prematurely on their honeymoon in Turkey. Louise and Stephen Crawshaw-Bowen were holidaying in Antalya when their baby boy, Wolfie, was born on Monday, July 25, by caesarean section. It was almost eight weeks early. Louise has since had to foot a €4,500 bill for her own treatment, but Wolfie’s bills could reach £50,000 depending on how long he has to stay in hospital. Despite taking out travel insurance, which they believed would cover any medical expenses for giving birth abroad, their insurers told them they could not cover the claim. “Before we left I did everything I could to make sure everything was in place,” said Louise. “I had a chance to get a letter from my midwife, I had no complications with this pregnancy. I just went to my routine appointments and everything was fine. I got insurance that I thought covered everything.” Family and friends of the couple have now set up a fundraising page to help with the mounting costs which could reach £50,000. Wolfe may have to stay in the hospital for several more weeks, but they say so far they’ve only been able to see him for a few seconds each day. Stephen told ITV News West Country: “Everyone who is a parent will understand what an amazing feeling it is to be a parent and that experience has been ruined. “The hospital was like a prison. They wouldn’t let my wife go unless we paid them 4,500 euros. Our issue was that we are not going to leave our premature baby in Turkey.” Stephen and Louise say they are struggling emotionally and financially. They continue to have limited contact with their newborn son as doctors work to help his lungs, which are not fully developed. Louise said: “I don’t even feel like I’ve had a baby because I’ve had a caesarean, he’s been taken away and I haven’t seen him. There’s no bonding time. I’ve only seen him for 30 seconds a day in an incubator.”
