Born 24 weeks and 4 dyas gestation
Our son Toby was born at just 24 weeks and 4 days gestation, weighing 669 grams. He spent 121 days (around 4 months) in hospital fighting for his life for much of this time. I had severe neurological preeclampsia. I spend four days in ICU and another 2 weeks in the hospital.
Many people made me feel like this was my fault, that I had done something wrong. These people need to be re-educated about pregnancy, premature birth and premature babies.
With out the work and expertise of the Doctors and nurses at RPA Hospital in Sydney Australia our little guy would not be with us today.
There are a lot of discussions at the moment in Australia about whether babies should be saved so early due to the cost associated with their care and because the population is growing older and the money should be put towards aged care - I invite all these people who agree with this to come and meet our son, hear our story and see how well he is doing.
Toby had plenty of problems while in hospital (infections, PDA, ROP III, etc) BUT he is developing to his corrected age and has no disabilities. They seem to always show the negative stories on TV, babies born early who die, or have severe disabilities, but they need to show the positive outcomes too and even if a child has severe disabilities due to prematurity who are they to say that they don't have a right to live, they are happy children who enjoy life!!
Thanks
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Fight For Preemies
http://www.marchofdimes.com/fi…
Every year, 20 million babies are born too soon, too small and very sick ― half a million of them in the United States. November 17 is when we fight.
Do you know a baby that was born too soon, too small, unable to suck, unable to breathe on his own? Premature birth is a health crisis that jeopardizes the lives and health of nearly half-million babies each year. It is the #1 killer of newborns and can lead to lifelong disabilities. Worse: the number has increased 31 percent since 1981. It can happen without warning and for no known reason. Until we have more answers, anyone’s baby, could be born too soon. Medical advances give even the tiniest babies a chance of survival, yet for many babies premature birth is still a life or death condition. It’s the #1 cause of death during the first month of life. And babies who survive face serious health challenges and risk lifelong disabilities. The rate of premature birth has never been higher. In half the cases, we simply don’t understand what went wrong. We need to fight for answers. And, ultimately, preventions. November 17 is dedicated to raising awareness of the crisis of premature birth. The March of Dimes invites bloggers like you to get involved. • Learn about premature birth at marchofdimes.com/fightforpreemies • Put a badge on your blog during November, Prematurity Awareness Month® • On November 17, blog for a baby you love and to help others We need to fight ― because babies shouldn’t have to. ............................................................................. El 17 de noviembre estará dedicado a crear conciencia sobre la crisis del nacimiento prematuro. March of Dimes le extiende una invitación a los blogueros como usted para que participen. -Aprenda acerca del nacimiento prematuro en nacersano.org o marchofdimes.com/fightforpreemies -Añada un botón en su blog durante el mes de noviembre, Mes del Nacimiento Prematuro -El 17 de noviembre, dedique una entrada en su blog a un bebé que usted ama y para ayudar a otros Necesitamos luchar por todos los bebés.
11/04/09 marchofdimes wrote:
You're right, we need to raise awareness about this cause and Toby is the perfect example! Thank you for sharing your story.