Looking back on World Prematurity Day
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MummyBloggers
November 17th was World Prematurity Day. This may not ring a bell for just everyone but it rang loud for me. My little boy was born at just 28 weeks gestation.
While in labour, I was asked to give a boy’s name and a girl’s name. I was told that a priest would be waiting and the child would be baptised immediately. I was lying hooked up to a drip and was getting injections on a regular basis.
The labour took 22 hours. It was tough as it was my first, but it was always marred by the fact that the baby may not survive. I couldn’t prepare myself for that and just concentrated on the birth. Eventually it came.
A little boy was placed in my arms for all of 15 seconds. His skin was transparent and I could see all his little organs. I’ll never forget that sight. Then he was whisked away and it was several hours later before I was wheeled down to the neo-natal ward in St. Munchins Hospital in Limerick.
This tiny little baby was inside an incubator and doctors were all around. I was allowed to open one little window and feel his fingers in mine. He had to pull through. He just had to.
The doctors said the next 72 hours were critical. We waited: his Dad and I. The weekend went by and he held on strong. When the 72 hours were up, we were told he’d make it. But a long road was ahead of us.
As the baby was 12 weeks premature it was expected that he would be in hospital for those 12 weeks at least. The weeks went by and at just 6 weeks he was moved out of the incubator. At 8 weeks we were told he could come home. The doctors were amazed at his progress.
On the day of his discharge the consultant told us that our little boy was a very special wee man; however we told to prepare ourselves for the fact he would always be very small and would always have a very low IQ.
That was almost 24 years ago. That same little 2lb 14oz baby boy is now 6 feet tall and one of the most intelligent young men I’ve ever known. A born fighter, he defeated all the odds.
So on World Prematurity Day I took time to remember not just our experience all those years ago, but I gave thanks for all the amazing staff who work in neo-natal units the world over. They are truly gifted individuals. I’ll never forget the nursing staff and doctors in St. Munchins, Limerick. They didn’t just care for my baby; they cared for me. They supported me through many dark days and they shone brightly the day I brought my baby home.
