Today, November 17th is Prematurity Awareness Day. In honor of today, I am going to introduce you to some of some good friends we have met along our journey and share my story.
I was on bedrest my entire pregnancy with Ailyn. 28 strait weeks. It started with overstimulation from IVF, then preterm labor started at 14 weeks. I went into labor on a Saturday. Aaron had just left with Camden to go to his office. I knew something was off and warned him. I got up to take a shower and in the shower felt a terrible pain. I knew to call 911 but had to get to the phone. I thought for sure I was pushing Ailyn out. The pain was unreal. The paramedics came and got me into the ambulance. My water broke in my driveway. The ride to the hospital was a blur. Aaron met me at the hospital and my good friend came to pick Camden up. The doctor could not find Ailyn's heartbeat and my abdomen was filled with blood. They rushed me to the OR right away. Aaron was told to wait to hear Ailyn's cries. She didn't cry. I had a severe placenta abruption.
Ailyn had to be brought back to life. The amazing doctors and nurses preformed a true miracle on April 18, 2009. Ailyn did not move for the first 12 hours of life. The doctor came in and told me that "babies this sick normally never make it and to prepare for her death". But, Ailyn fought hard. She had a grade 1 brain bleed. Her kidneys and gut took a very hard hit. For the next few weeks, Ailyn peed strait blood. At 1 month old she had to have PDA surgery. For 75 very long days, she fought very hard to come home to us. I thank EVERY NICU nurse and doctor for taking such great care of our Strawberry. I will never forget them and plan to tell Ailyn about her first friends.
And, here we are 2 1/2 years later. Ailyn is an amazing little girl. Always happy and still shows us how very stubborn she is. Ailyn has developmental delays, has high blood pressure due to kidney disease, Esotropia ,is far sighted and has a astigmatism, Ailyn also has a Gtube and will wear leg braces. None of this stops Ailyn.... she proves to us each day that she will go very far in life!
We are reminded every single day of Ailyn's prematurity. I wish I could forget and move on. But, when Ailyn has daily struggles due to her extreme prematurity, that is not possible. I hope by sharing Ailyn's story, I can educate people on the severity of prematurity.
MEET OUR MICROPREEMIE FRIENDS!
Callie 24 weeks 1 pound 5.3 ounces 11 3/4 inches
Callie is one of Ailyn's NICU roommates. I am so glad we stayed in touch with Callie's family. I love watching Callie grow up. She amazes me with all she does. Such a smart little girl with an adorable personality.
I "met" Michael's Mom on a micropreemie Facebook group. Kristen and I have never met but I can honestly call her a "good friend". The bond micropreemie Mom's have in indescribable. Kristen has been so much support for me. Always there to cheer Ailyn on and give awesome advice. And, Michael... what a miracle!!! He is such a fighter. Every time he meets a milestone, I cry along with Kristen. He took his first steps months ago, I felt so proud of him! Michael has come so far and like Ailyn still struggles daily with prematurity issues.
Kensley born at 23 weeks, 1 pound 8 ounces and 12 1/4 inches long
Kim called me the day I joined the micropreemie group. We talked for 3 hours. It was the first time I had talked to another micropreemie Mom. I even got to talk to her miracle Kensley. If I post a status about Ailyn having a rough day, Kim will message me and give me advice. She always lets me know that Kensley once went through the same issues and got through it. It is awesome to have found a friend like Kim.
Shane 24 weeks, 1 pound 12 ounces 11 inches long
Shane's Mommy messaged me about a question I had the micropreemie support group. Our babies struggle with feeding problems and a lot of the same developmental issues. I love following Shane's story. He also took his first steps a few months ago and I cheered out loud.
Prematurity sucks! Prematurity is the #1 killer of newborns in the U.S. In the U.S., 1 out of every 8 babies is born prematurely. Over 13,000,000 babies per year are born early with 500,000 of those in the U.S. alone!
So today, Honor the million babies worldwide who died this year because they were born too soon, and the 12 million more who struggle to survive.
