Born at 28 Weeks -- A CafeMom Preemie Story
November 16, 2009 at 7:11 AM by Cafe Cynthia - Comments (14)
Photo by MissDipper
My friends and I were talking the other day about all the big babies born these days. My friend IRL just had a 10 pound baby. A co-worker had an 11 pound baby! Everyone is always wowed but thrilled when a big baby comes into the world, because most times it's a sign of health and thriving.
Imagine a baby being born at a little over one pound. That's what Derek, son of Preemie Moms group owner MissDipper, weighed when he was delivered by emergency C-section 16 months ago.
November is Prematurity Awareness Month, a time to remember that not all babies come into the world when they're supposed to, and that not all moms have the birth of their dreams. Here's MissDipper's story so we can all understand premature birth and some of the struggles that these moms go through a little bit better.
Warning Signs
My blood pressure started rising at the 24th week. Hospital tests showed trace amounts of protein in my urine that did not confirm pre-eclampsia. I ended up on labor and delivery two additional times over the next week before my primary doctor referred me to a perinatologist, but I couldn't get an appointment for another two weeks.
By the time I saw the perinatologist, I had lost most of my amniotic fluid, so my son was not getting the blood flow he needed to stay alive or grow. He told us our son needed to be born in the next day or two or he would die. My husband and I were stunned. The fact that he was better off on the outside than on the inside was terrifying. I'd never heard of a baby born this early and didn't know his chances of surviving.
I was admitted to the hospital, an hour from my home, immediately. Blood work showed that not only was my son in danger, but I was also in danger as my blood platelets were dropping quickly. They gave me two steroid shots to help Derek's lungs develop quickly before the C-section that happened in 20 hours from my initial appointment.
The Birth
Prepping me for the surgery took forever. I was so swollen that it took the anesthesiologist three tries to do my spinal tap. By the time the perinatologist had a chance to start, it was crunch time and they didn't even have time to pull the sheet up in front of my face so I couldn't see what was happening. I could have watched the whole thing, but I chose to face away.
The most pleasant sound was my 1 pound 8.4 ounce 13 inch baby crying for the first time. I'd been told I probably would not hear him cry because his lungs were not developed. I can't tell you how excited I was to hear that cry. It's not a sound I can explain. I can only compare it to that of a distressed squirrel. My nurse whispered in my ear that things were good because the NICU team was keeping him in the delivery room to record his foot prints. If he'd been in danger, they would have whisked him away to the NICU and taken the prints later. I knew he had a great start and hoped he'd have a great chance at survival.
Struggle to Live
The first few days of his life were the most crucial. Derek was never intubated. This was another miracle. He was placed on room air with a c-pap machine for just a few days. He was quickly moved to a high-flow canula, which meant he was progressing nicely.
Derek had his ups and downs as preemies do, but by the grace of God he had more ups than downs. He received a blood transfusion, was given lipids and other medications to make him grow, and battled anemia several times while in the NICU.
I Can't Hold My Baby
The hardest part was being on the same maternity floor as the moms with full-term babies. The first night I heard other babies crying and the moms in nearby rooms trying to console their little ones, cooing, singing to them. I just sat in my bed and cried. I wasn't allowed to hold my baby yet.
A week later, finally getting to pick him up was the most precious moment since his birth. To hold a baby that could fit in the palm of one hand showed me just how delicate he truly was. Since Derek was my first child, I didn't know what it was like to hold a baby for the first time without wires and tubes. Each time I wanted to hold him, I had to ask for permission. It took time to prepare his apparatus so I could carefully get him out of the isolette. The chair had to be in the right position, I had to have a hospital gown on so I didn't pass germs on to him, and I had to adhere to a strict hand-washing procedure. Nothing about his stay was easy.
Jealousy and Tears
There was a break in the day when the parents were not allowed in the NICU for the shift change. It was at these times that I would sit at the entrance of the hospital for some fresh air. It was difficult to watch the mommies of full-term babies get wheeled out to their cars to load their bundles of joy in their car seats and take them home only days after their birth. I'd already been there weeks and then months. I never knew when we'd get to take Derek home with us.
I became very jealous of these mommies. I also had a tough time with the babies in the NICU that only spent a few days or weeks in there. I cried each time another baby went home. Tears of joy for those moms and tears of pain of knowing I had to keep waiting.
Tears were a common experience daily. I cried for different reasons each time. I cried when I was able to hold him and longed to have him home. I would dream about what that first time would be like. While I rocked him for hours on end, I would close my eyes and imagine I was home in my living room just cuddling my baby with no wires, buzzers, nurses, doctors, ultrasounds, ear tests, eye tests, needles, feeding tubes -- nothing holding us back.
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When did Derek get to go home? How is he doing today? Click Preemie Story Part 2 to find out.
Are you the mom of a premature baby? Was it anything like Derek's? Introduce him or her to us .. tell us your birth story.
Related posts:
Kangaroo Care for Premature Babies
FILED UNDER: child care, health
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My son was delivered 5wks early by emergency c-section due to high blood pressure, The delivery was diffucult, I almost didnt make it and Douglas wasnt breathing and was taken straight to the NICU, We both recovered quickly and my son was so strong he was released after 1 week and was 4 pounds 5 ounces. Over the next few months he gained almost a pound a week!! Now at 7 months, my 3rd baby who started life as my smallest baby is now my biggest baby at 18 pounds 6 ounces!!
What an amazing story this is. Both my children were born full term so I do not know what pain this is, I can only imagine. My heart goes out to you for being so strong. I work with a man who's baby was born at 21 weeks and I know what battles he and his fiance have gone through. I have been amazed at the pictures he has sent to us.
I am anxious to read more of your story!
My DS was born a 35 weeks preemie and I canot tell you how much I suffer durring the week he spend in the NICU. I went through the same jelousy when I was sent home from the hospital and I saw other moms with ther full term babies going home and I empty handed and worse when my DH cousin deliver her healthy full term8 lbs baby a few days after mine, when the I saw the other NICU moms going home with their babies too. The not be able to hold him really drove me crazy. But he is now a year old and all I do is hold him, kiss him and love him all day long. I still get jelous of moms telling their full term babies wonderful stories and when I see full term babies not behind like mine BUT I always remember that non of those moms have a warrior...a survivor like my son. And that makes me proud.
My little one was born 13 months ago at 28 weeks weighing 3 lbs 3 oz. After having 2 full term babies, nothing could prepare me for what I was in store for. I was expecting an easy breezy NICU stay and anticipated that my baby would do much better than average, because my kids were always healthy. However, our experience was much different. Addisyn was the sickest baby in the NICU for quite some time. Everything was a struggle for her. She struggled to eat, she struggled to breathe. Staying alive was a struggle for her. I am thankful for the experience because the past year has changed me in more ways that one can imagine. My priorities have changed, the way I care for my children have changed and most of all, my outlook on life has changed.
I feel for you...my daughter was full term but they thought she had swallowed some meconium and I had to wait only 2 hours to hold her compared to your long wait...and I was going crazy. I can only IMAGINE what you went through, and my heart goes out to you. <3
my baby was a NICU baby. he was born early but thats not what got him in there, I know exactly how you felt the in the hospital the night after he was born. I cried so hard and i missed him so much.
My baby wasn't preemie but she's in the NICU now with Transient tachypnea. She was born this past friday. I got to hold her once, but these past few days have been torture. I couldn't imagine her having to stay there for months. You're a very strong mama
HELLO , IM SO SORRY TO READ ABOUT YOUR STORY :( I CAN'T IMAGINE GOING TRU SOMETHING AS TOUGH AS THAT :*(
MY SON WAS BORN ALMOST 1 MONTH BEFORE HIS DUE DATE , DUE TO A CONDITION CALLED CHOLESTASIS ,is a condition caused when bile is backed up in the liver. I had NEVER HEARD OF IT , UNTIL I GOT IT . IT WAS AN ITCHINESS ALL OVER MY BODY SO BAD THAT I COULDNT SLEEP FOR WEEKS , AND MY BABY COULD HAVE BEEN HURT FROM IT , THATS WHY THEY DECIDED TO INDUCED MY LABOR . THEY DECIDED TO INDUCED ME BECAUSE THEY SAID THAT IF THEY ALLOW THE PREGNANCY TO CONTINUE , WE CLD BOTH HAVE BEEN IN REAL DANGER , AND ALSO AND THERE WAS A CHANCE FOR ME TO BLEED AfTER THE BIRTH . BUT THANKS GOD EVERYTHING WENT EXTREMELY WELL . MY BABY WAS BORN AT 6 POUNDS 2 OUNCES , AND HES ALMOST 3 MONTHS AND IS DOING EXTREMELY WELL ! SO IM VERY RELIEF AND THANKFUL !
11*18*07 i gave birth to a 14.8oz baby at 21 weeks she died as soon as the cord was cut her lungs werent develop enough :(
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I am a mom to a premature baby. Our stories have some similiarities but are also vastly different. My son was diagnosed in-utero with Gastroschisis. His bowels and intestines were outside of his body. Many things happened because of that - low amniotic fluid, a not so great heart rate for my son, IUGR. I was on bed rest for the last few weeks of my pregnancy - until they decided he was no longer doing good in my stomach. He was 35 weeks when I had an emergency c-section, he weighed 4 pounds and 2 ounces. Alot bigger than a baby who is only 1.8! But he was so tiny to me. He had his surgery when he was born and we were in the hospital for about 3 weeks. (A miracle for Gastroschisis babie) I didn't get to hold him until 3 days after he was born, it was the most awful thing I've experienced. And when I did hold him, like MissDipper, I had to ask permission - it was once a day for a few minutes - and he was connected to so many different machines and wires and tubes, I hated it! But he got alot better and we were finally discharged. He is now 2 months old and weighs about 6 pounds. And he is doing great. Being with him now with nothing 'holding us back' is definatly an amazing experience for both of us. It's so surreal that just a month ago we were in that hospital together 24-7, going crazy wondering when this time would come!! Thanks for sharing MissDippers story - it's always great to read what others have similarly gone through.
BlazzinBebe88 Nov. 16, 2009 at 11:31 AM