Gastroschisis is a condition where the intestines and sometimes other organs develop outside a foetus’s body, and Nurture One cares for two boys born with it.

Centre manager Nicole Prout said they raised about $450 today with a cake stall, raffle and lolly guessing competition, smashing their hopes of $200.

One of the boys is Nicholas Diebold, whose mum Fiona is an educator at the centre. 

She learned of his condition from an ultrasound at 19 weeks.

She gave birth at Westmead and Nicholas had his first surgery at just two days old, and his second at nine days.

Miss Diebold was told they could expect to stay in hospital for 12 months and she thought, “No way am I staying here that long”. 

Nicholas, who’d been fed intravenously, was fully breastfed by four weeks of age and they were home a few weeks after that.

He’s doing well now, but Miss Diebold said he would have lasting risks to his health.

“There’s a chance he could have a bowel obstruction or twisting, so I’m always on edge whenever he gets sick.”

Lane Williams is now a smiling, toddling 18-month-old, but his mum Di said she was “so frightened” when she learnt he had the condition.

Specialists reassured her he’d be OK, but the outlook darkened when he was born at 35 weeks weighing 1.75kg, and in worse shape than expected.

He was in surgery straight after birth at 11pm, and Di said the surgeon emerged at 4am to tell her, “‘It doesn’t look good’ … they didn’t think he’d survive”.

“He’s a miracle baby – he fought against all the odds,” she said.

Miss Williams said Lane’s star-shaped scar where his belly button should be was very apt: “The surgeons were amazed. He’s just a little fighter. You can’t stop him.”