November is Prematurity Awareness Month. The March of Dimes continues their campaign to prevent prematurity and set November 17th (today) as a day to Fight for Preemies. As everyone knows, prematurity has rocked our universe twice and left a lasting impact on our lives. Carson's arrival ten weeks premature at 30 weeks gestation was shocking as first time parents. We fought through the NICU, attended follow-up appointments, pushed early intervention, and researched like crazy people. As I was being admitted at 23 weeks with Elias we couldn't believe prematurity was going to impact our family once again. Twelve days later at 25 weeks Elias was pulled into this world in an emergency c-section septic from my chorioamniotis secondary to pPROM. Terrifying as it was to be in the NICU again, it was even more frightening to have experience in that strange world and fear going through it all with a micropreemie. Elias has always been a fighter like his brother but he has endured so much in his short 4 years. Prematurity is only one aspect of our children's lives but it has played a substantial role in their direction and experiences.
I found a career I cherish through the experiences prematurity gave me and now have the privilege to care for premature infants through the NICU. The ability to see both sides of the NICU rollercoster is often a blessing in my nursing but bittersweet. Prematurity needs a voice, awareness, understanding for us to combat the continuing rise of early births and their implications on life. Please stop by the March of Dimes and learn more about how you can help the fight.
1 comment:
My daughter was born at 24.5 weeks weighing in at 1.08lbs and all of 12 inches long. She was also born with amniotic band syndrome. Her leg was amputated sometime during the very early stages of my pregnancy and left her missing her right leg from the knee down, the first 3 toes on her left foot and the tops of all her fingers and all of her ring finger. All of that to survive and she had a bleed in her brain to boot. Jordan my little miracle is now a healthy, happy, brilliant little girl who ski's, swims, dances, sings, reads, and gets straight A's. How blessed I am and how grateful for the care we received from her doctors and most especially the nurses in the NICU. God Bless your beautiful babies, they look GREAT!!!
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