World Prematurity Day

I didn't even know this day existed until I became the mom to a preemie princess.

It is no secret that my daughter is a preemie. It is not something that I keep a secret. My scar from her c-section is a battle wound from her incredible journey into this world. Her time in utero was cut short by 7 weeks as she graced the world with her presence 7 weeks early.

When she was born, she weighed 2 pounds 13 ounces and barely fit in our arms.

Thank God she was luckier than a lot of premature babies and was fully developed - lungs and all.

But she did have her own battles to fight... It was not just a walk in the park, I promise. It was hard on her little body; it was hard on her momma and her daddy; and it was hard on her grandparents and it was hard on her entire family, all of the extended aunts and uncles and "big cousins" included.

Being extremely underweight, she needed to pack on the pounds before she could come home. She lived in the NICU at our local hospital for 5 weeks, with every pound and milestone we rejoiced. During her first weeks, her biggest troubles came with eating; she could only digest breast milk and her poor tummy had quite the battle with Colitis. One of the hardest things, as her mother, was to accept that withholding feedings was the correct "prescription" for her during those moments. How could I agree that not feeding this tiny little girl was the right thing to do?! Yes, I knew she was getting her nutrients through her IVs, but just the thought of her having to skip that meal was a little tough for me to digest. {pun intended}

But if we fast forward...

Now, to see her, as she turns 17 months old TODAY, it's hard to even think about her as a preemie in that fancy "condo." Yes, she is petite and I have a feeling she always will be. {She may not look Asian, but she has got short Asian lady genes!} Some say she is still catching up and maybe that's true.

Lainey has crossed that 20 pound mark and is as smart as can be. She has experienced no real "preemie things" as she is growing up and is, developmentally, a perfect toddler.

Now, I understand our story is not like others and some premature babies have a much harder time than we did. Some stories don't have a happy ending like ours. It's incredibly hard to even type that sentence. Our story isn't ending, it is just beginning.

I wrote this post to help in raising awareness for a very serious topic - for a critical problem in our lives. I am not looking for donations to any of the several non-profs that are working for advancements in medical science to give these babies the best possible odds. It's been my experience that statistics tend to mean more when there is a real-life emotion attached to it. So please know, this post could not be more heartfelt.

Everyday we say our prayers and count our blessings. God walked us through this journey and gave us the strength He knew we needed. He chose us to be Lainey's parents for reasons only He knows. But I thank him everyday for my preemie princess.

xoxo,

Linda