World Prematurity Day

Thanks for posting. I've had two preemies. One at 33 wks and one at 34 wks. I have a septate uterus, basically I have half the room available for a baby to grow and it's a huge miracle I made it as far as I did with each pregnancy. My first was 4lbs 15oz and had a 3 week NICU stay that was very uneventful. My second was 5lbs 15oz but was much more critical, CPAP for several days, then oxygen, so swollen from the fluids I was given before birth, his skull was mishapen, all ten toes were going in a million different directions and on. I was able to breastfeed both of them which I am so proud of it felt like the one thing I could really do for them. My first is now 4yo and she's a little pistol! And my second is 14mo. He's doing amazing and we have almost all his issues all sorted out. I feel blessed that they are here and healthy.

Thank you for bringing that to our attention. It is a most deserving subject! I was very fortunate to carry 3 daughters to term. I am so blessed and never, never take it for granted. I don't know how all of you do it, but you are my heros! I can't imagine going home from the hospital without my baby. Of course, as we all know, some aren't as fortunate! My sister has had 2 miscarriages.

I've always said, I have no idea how a mother who has just given birth, cannot believe in God. It is such a miracle! God bless all of you!

My twins were born at 35 weeks. They came out strong and fighting. After some breathing issues. I had both my boys in my room after just 4 hours in the NICU. They were both 17 1/2 inches long. One was 5 lbs, 9 oz, and the other was 4 lbs, 9 oz. They are now 9 months and at every appointment the bigger twin has always been one pound bigger. They never really lost much weight. I can't believe after 9 months, one is now too long for the infant seat and one is too heavy for the infant seat. They are right on track with full term babies with regards to growth and development.

My son was only five weeks early, and was five pounds, eleven ounces, and 19 inches long. Because I'm half Asian, they didn't notice he was jaundiced until I was ready to leave. He had one of those light beds to sleep on for two weeks.

He was my miracle boy because I had lost two at about 11-12 weeks back to back before becoming pregnant with him. I didn't even know I was pregnant until I was 13 weeks along.
I stunned the ultrasound tech with my adamant refusal to learn my baby's gender. "This baby is my present from God," I told her, "Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. I don't believe in playing God in respect to learning gender or defects, I believe God chose me to be this child's Mother, and fully accept the gift that was entrusted to me."

After the work the Midwife did to help me stall the labour failed(48 hours total), I went to the hospital, unbeknownst to me dilated to nine. Snarky Nurses telling me I was too late for an epidural were unceremoniously thrown out of my room, my backup plan initiated(I had an awesome OB/GYN that was a former Midwife). She had to break the water because I couldn't progress further, and baby began to be in distress. I gave birth 45 minutes later to my son. How tiny those feet and hands were! When he didn't cry right away, I felt a bit of panic setting in. Then I heard the most incredibly beautiful sound ever. That high cry put me in tears, and does so whenever I remember that day.

The pediatrician that was called in to look at him tried to bully me into doing millions of things(like all the shots, and eyedrops, and formula feeding, and staying in the nursery), but my OB doc helped me stand up for my rights, and I got to feed my son, content that this very tiny person, my son, was going to grant me an interesting life.

And boy has he!

My Daughter Victoria was born at 32 weeks, I had full placenta previa. She had a grade 2 bleed on the right side of her brain and and grade 3 on the left. She has a hole in her heart and Mitral Valve Prolapse she weighed 3 lbs 3 oz. Her stay in the hospital lasted only 28 days, when we took her home the Dr's advised us not to expect the same milestones as our older daughter. Well she surprised everyone hitting most milestones early. I am VERY proud and blessed to say today she is thriving at the age of 24.And now she is a NICU nurse at the very hospital she was at. (Cardial Glennon).

I am a premie baby, born Christmas Eve. My Mom had seen her doctor only a couple of days before and knew they needed to schedule her C-section. She told the doctor she didn't care when as long as she got to spend Christmas morning home with her 2 yr old. Well....... She spent the 23rd cleaning and had changed beds complete with the mattress pad, my parents went to bed that night and my Mom's water broke. So they made a call and my Aunt came over to stay with my brother and I was born at 4:20 AM December 24. I was 4 lbs 11 ozs and had to stay in the hospital 3 weeks, my brother's earliest memory was the day they went to the hospital to bring me home. Since my Mom was recovering from a C-section my dad went to the hospital several times a day with a bottle of breast milk for me.
I was not expected to survive and my Mom had had a stillborn daughter, my brother's twin. They had a very tension filled Christmas that year.

My first daughter was born between 34 and 35 weeks. I had low amniotic fluid throughout the pregnancy and ended up with premature rupture of membranes. I had a complicated delivery which ended in an emergency c-section. She weighed 6lb. 1oz. and was unable to breath without assistance. She stayed in the NICU just shy of 3 weeks. She was 5lb. 8oz when we brought her home.

My second daughter was born at 36 weeks weighing a whopping 8lb. 1 oz. She had jaundice but otherwise was fine. But I was on bed rest with her, had biweekly nonstress tests, progesterone suppositories, and had steroid injections to make sure her lungs were mature so medical intervention probably prevented another NICU baby.

aww so glad your little boy made it! my first little one was a 35 week old preemie and boy was that tough. she weighed 4.9 pounds at birth and we took her home! that was 10 years ago, she is the sweetest tween ever, not because I'm her mom ;o)

I had two singleton children born at 35 weeks gestation. One was in the NICU for 8 days and the other just the required 8 hours after birth. My daughter weighed 5lbs and some change and my son was just shy of 7 pounds. I myself was born at 26.5 weeks gestation weighing in at 1lb 6.5oz. I spent 3 months in the NICU. I came home weighing just under 5 pounds.

It is definitely a great thing to remember all who are born too early but make it despite the odds.

My daughter was due June 26, 1998, but arrived May 1. She was only 3lbs 10oz. She stayed in the hospital for 18 days and came home at 4lbs. 4oz. She had no health issues at all. She was so little, she couldn't even wear newborn clothes. Socks looked like little boots on her. :-))))