Preemies

proud mom of 2 preemies, 33 weeker and 32 weeker..both are super healthy and fun! My son (33wk) is almost 3 and my daughter is 14 mo. My son was the hardest because we were so so scared about RSV and sick people in general...after the first 6 mo.s or so we relaxed :) We're so blessed!

i never had a preemie but i hope you dont mind me writing. My sister had her preemie baby at 28weeks into her pregnancy. she had a little girl who was 1lb. 4oz. and 12 inch long at birth. she is a month old and she is a little fighter :) Her baby is still in the NIC unit and is doing good at this time she is 2lbs 1oz and 13 1/2 inch long.

**I am so proud of my sister and anyone who ever had a preemie you gotta be so strong and have faith.

Hi M.,

My son was born at 32 and a half weeks and 3 lb 7 oz. We were REALLY lucky and only had to stay in the NICU for 2 and a half weeks. It was scary even though he was the giant in the NICU. We had him evaluated by the occupational therapist at 6 months and again at 1 year. At that point she told us we were good to go. YEAH!!! The only thing we had trouble with was feeding. Though he never had to eat with the gavage tube, he never latched on for nursing properly. I pumped for 7 months. He's now 4 and a half and is healthy as a horse. He has no delays anymore and is just a joy in our lives.

When we were in the NICU there was also a tiny little thing named Faith. She was born at 1 lb. 3 oz. and 24 weeks! She was 5 weeks old when we got there and had just hit 1 lb. 5 oz. She finally took her first food by mouth at 9 weeks and had some trouble with that. We saw her in August. She is now a beautiful strong girl who is caught up on everything, though she still has some eating issues, and participates in gymnastics.

It's truly amazing what our tiny little ones can do given a little time. Be patient. I was more than a little paranoid about taking our son out in the germ-laden, scary, big world for several months, then I did the best thing I ever did. I joined a Mommy and Me group at St John's Hospital in Oxnard where he was born. There I met a bunch of wonderful women and their kids who were close in age to mine. We continued to meet after our kids turned two and could no longer participate in classes at the hospital. Not only have we become a great support group for each other, but we've been able to compare notes as the kids have grown. It's terrific to be able to compare notes on their development. Just when we think our child is the only one doing the crazy stuff, we find out that they ALL are! :>)

Our son WAS behind at first but he was SUPPOSED to be. I think it's important to remember that. I don't know if your little one is having any problems but premies can have a lot of medical difficulties to overcome as well as the whole fact that they AREN'T as old as kids the same age. If you're getting frustrated with delays, remember that ALL kids develop at their own rate, even if they were born at full term. Keep in mind that your 7 month old is really only 4 months old!

Hang in there and best to you and your family!

M.

My twins were born at 32 weeks! 4lb 4oz, and 4 lb 6oz. One stayed for 17 days and the other stayed for 23 days. They just turned 3 and when I watch them play, fight, talk, everything they do, I still cant believe how small and fragile they once were. Looking back it was the hardest month of my life... leaving them every night. Now they are what keeps me moving every day!

hello:
Just want to say that my kids were born at 32 weeks. One at 2.16 lbs and the other at 3.6lbs. They are 5 years old now and you would never know they were preemies. My daughter is samll for her age, but she got the "bad" genes from my side. The first year is scary, but they grow big and strong

Hi M.,

I was a preemie myself. All I have to say is don't worry. Enjoy. All will be fine.

My mom went into labor three months early in the '70's. The doctors told her I would be born dead or would have severe problems. Guess what? Neither of those things happened. I wasn't breast-fed either because of the circumstances.

The only repercussions were that I was really nearsighted (but that was totally correctable), I got a lot of ear infections (still do), and I have a very hard time with cavities (I have very little tooth enamel)--but these are not big problems! I caught up in developmental milestones, weight, and height pretty quickly. I ended up doing well in school and went to a great college--so yea for preemies!

:-) D.

mom to an 26 weeker born at 14 oz. She turned 1 this past weekend!! She is still only 11 lbs and we struggle a lot with weight gain but adjusted is 9 months and crawling and trying to start walking. We battled reflex and still do from time to time. I am always trying to find moms who can relate to the things we have to deal with on a daily basis, but haven't found any in the valley. I have lots of friends on teaminspire.com (a preemie forum). I tried social connections through CSUN but they didn't have anyone. I would love to share:)

Hi M., my daughter was born at 28 weeks (2lb 2 oz). It was awfully scarry. I had to have an emergency C-Section (Pre-Eclamsia)and my Dr. said at that particular time my own life was also very at risk. I was so sick afterwards and my daughter had to stay in the hospital for 5 weeks. She was so teeny and had no fat on her whatsoever! She didn't even have booty cheeks, her tailbone was literally sticking out and then you could see her little booty hole. The best way to describe her was like a little just hatched bird with no feathers. My milk hadn't had a chance to come in yet so it was really rough getting it to come in..... but I didn't give up and was finally able to supply the hospital with some on a regular basis. We went to see her every day and even though we couldn't hold her, we could put our hands in the incubator and rub her tiny little body...... She was released to go home at 3 lbs. because she was doing very well and was able to keep her body temp up. She did very well and has been blessed with great health! She just celebrated her 12th birthday and while she is petite, she has no developmental or other problems having been a preemie - and at that time we were cautioned that there would be several things that might be expected. Anyway, we are very thankful for her health. Take care and enjoy you little miracle.

My twins were 10 weeks early. Two important suggestions. Preemies can have delays and early intervention programs is recommended and NO VACCINES!!! I would have never had my twins vaccinated if I knew that preemies were at higher risk for autism, ADHD, speech delays, asthma, and other health issues. Their immature immune systems can't handle it.
D. Merlin
Mother/author
www.victoryoveradhd.com

Hi I just wanted to let you know that life is amazing with preemies. Mine was born also at 27 2.5lbs and now she is 31 months and with the help of all the teachers and therapy lessons if you see here now you would never think she was a preemie. email me if you have any questions ____@____.com

My friend Katrena started this website and developed a great preemie scrapbook that measures preemie developement through the months that you can purchase. It has a chat line and everything. Check it out! : ) dreemiepreemie.com

Hi M.,
Congratulations! My daughter was born at 30 weeks and was 2 lbs 11 oz and went down to 2 lbs 6 oz after birth as babies always lose some weight after being born. She was at Children's Hospital for 7 weeks and I was able to take her home when she was 4 1/2 lbs. There is so much they can do now for preemies that everything usually turns out fine. We were very lucky that our daughter was healthy and just needed to grow. I am proud to say she has now just turned 10 years old and is very healthy. It takes them a couple of years to catch up but she did and now she is as tall or taller than most kids her age and is competent and caught up in every way. I did breast feed her until she was 4 years old and feel that this really gave her a good boost for her immune system. I have a good immune system and really wanted to pass that along to her. It seems to have worked because she has hardly ever been sick, cross my fingers. I practically lived at the hospital when she was there, the nurses made me an honorary nurse because I learned to read the charts so well. Hold her as much as you can and I recommend you breast feed if you can. Good Luck and try not to stress too much because there is so much that can be done to help your little one grow and be healthy. :-)

Hi M.,

Congratulations on your new little arrival!! I have a friend that also had a preemie, I think she was born around the same time as yours (26 or 27 weeks), she also was only just a little above 1 lb. She did require heart surgery a few months later, but is the most beautiful little girl (gosh little woman now). She has no learning disabilities and is about 16 or 17 years old now. I wish you the best!!! It takes time to get through all of it, but they sure are strong little fighters.

Hi M.,

I am a proud Mom with a 21 month old son who was born at 28 weeks and 4 days. I had gone to urgent care to have a ring cutoff and to my surprise I was rushed to the hospital with the onset of preclampsia. He weighed 2.25 lbs and was 14.5 inches long. He had a heart condition that they found with an ultrasound prior to him being born. He spent 82 days in the NICU at Children's Hospital. It was touch and go for a while but he finally was able to come home on Easter 2007 which was around his due date.

He had heart surgery at 9 months and spent about 3 weeks in the hospital. The surgery was a success and I am proud to say he is a happy and healthy normal little boy. You can read about our story at www.caringbridge.org and enter in andrewfish on the name site.

Take care,
J.

My daughter was born at 25 weeks, 1 lb. 12 oz. and 12 inches long as well. Today she is a healthy, beautiful 6 year old girl! She was in the NICU at Children's Hospital for 3 months before coming home a few weeks before her original due date. I'm not sure where you are in your preemie journey but I would love to share our experiences and help you through you yours. know it was extremely helpful for me to talk with other who had been through the same situation while our daughter was in the NICU and in the first year or so. It's a rollercoaster ride for sure with a preemie but they are true fighters and you will be amazed by their strength every day :)

Congratulations and I figure the baby must be home now. My first son was early, but not as early as your little one. He actually did his "milestone"...sit up, roll, crawl, walk ..within normal limits. However, he was so tiny compared to children his age. Once when we were visiting my husband's parents and went to church and put him in the nursery...he was about 14 months and could walk, but he was so small they started to get one of the tiny cribs ready for him:) I would mainly tell you to watch the development and make sure that the "milestones" aren't too delayed and if they are you may need therapy. Also when Kindergarten age arrives, don't be afraid to hold your child back a year. My son was born in June and we kept him back. He was still the smallest boy in his class until he was in 8th grade when he finally took some growth spurts and started to grow very quickly...he is now 5' 10 1/2 " which is the same as his dad. I think if I hadn't he would have had more difficulties in school.
Blessings,
H.

My son was born at 24 weeks and is now a healthy 3 and 1/2 year old. We had strange circumstances. He was carried by a surrogate who went on vacation to Paris without telling us. The placenta hadn't attached properly to the uterine wall so it dropped while she was on the trip. We arrived in Paris when he was 3 days old and spent 4 months there. He was on a ventilator of one type or another for about 2 months. His lungs seem to be his one weakness. Whenever he gets a cold, it goes straight to his lungs. But every winter has been easier than the last.

I feel like that one of the best things we did for him was to access supplies of breast milk as long as we were able to. We made it to 18 months.

He has had delays in his development, even taking into account his being so early. We accessed free government services through the Early Start program which I highly recommend for all premies. My son has received PT and OT since he was 8 months old. He's currently receiving speech services. At this point, you would have no idea that he had arrived so early. He's still a little behind kids his same age, but we figure that by the time he enters kindergarten, he'll be completely caught up.

My son was barely even considered preemie at 36 weeks, so I really don't have anything to offer. Just wanted to say congratulations on your little fighter! It is so amazing what the medical field can do these days and I wish you all the best!

Hi M.,
First and foremost how are you doing?
My son now 9 was born @ 27wks as well.
Tarzana hospital did an amazing job putting
Our mind at ease.Is Regional Cnt. Assisting
You with in home services to help strengthen
Him/her fine&gross motor skills?.How long was your
Baby in the N.I.C.U? My son was in the NIC Unit for
2 1/2 months while having a 2 1/2 yr. Old at preschool.
For the last 7yrs we were told that all the delays we kept
Addressing with Regional Cnt. was due to his prematurity,
And that he'd catch up.All I can say is trust your gutt instincts,
No matter what,to sum things up he has
Autism,scotopic sensitivity but the bizzare thing is there's qualities
In him that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.we take so much
For granted,I've tried really hard to embrace his gentle qualities and
stop dwelling on the absent ones.
I apologize for rambling off topic,feel free to ask me any questions related,i've been through
It all.
C.

my daughter was born at 33 wks, 4 lbs 8 oz, she is now almost 5 yrs old, she had a little speech problem but that's it and that's pretty much gone, she was in NICU for only 2 wks. she's 40 lbs now, almost as tall as me (well i am petite lol) how's ur little one progressing? i was a premie too...much love n support. if u wanna email me ____@____.com

My adopted daugher was born at 28 wks and 2lbs 6oz. I wish I could have been in NICU with her. She was born addicted to drugs and had no prenatal care. They did not even atempt to place her until she was almost ready to go home. I had less then a week in NICU with her. She is now 2 and full of life. I love her indepentant spirit. She is still just a little behind. We are starting speech therapy this week and still have PT, and infant stimualation, and playgroup too. I would trade her for any other child in the world. She is my little miracle. Best of luck.
B. V

HI M.,
My son was born at 34 wks weighing 4.4 pds. He is now a few days from his first day. He is having gross motor skills issues and i am trying to get him into regional center. Other than that he is very good, he has only gotten fever three days in his life (i think b/c of teething). I think it's nerve recking because I feel I have to protect him more than the usual. So i breastfeed and make his food, I figure that's all I pretty much have control of. He loves trying to crawl and chasing our dogs. I think the issue I have now is people, including family, comparing him to other kids his age. I find myself thinking "mind your own f...n business" but I am polite and simply say he is delayed due to his premature state at birth.
If u ever want to talk contact me, I think it's different with a premie and sometimes people with full term babies don't understand that constant worry. Or it could just be me.
Good luck and enjoy your piece of heaven,
ceci

My granddaughter was two months premature. She weighed only 1 pound. She was in the hospital for the two months. Wound up getting Ecoli in the hospital. Her heart and lungs worked hard, but she was a fighter.

When she came home, she was on oxygen and needed breathing treatments. She has asthema now, but doing well. She is not a happy 5 year old and doing what children her age do.

I also had one of my own children born 3 weeks early. She got chronic pnemonia at 3 weeks old. She was in the hospital until they were able to get it under controll. They said her lungs were underdeveloped. She is now over 23 years old, in college with high grades, and doing well in all her sports activities.

J.