So youve all seen my posts today on the fact that its World Prematurity Day, but not much attention is given SOLELY to micro premies it seems. Ive learned over the last 34 days that most people dont know much about micro preemies. I didnt until I had one either. So heres a little info for all my friends who have been learning along with me about micro preemies since James was born in honor of World Prematurity Day. And in honor of our little fighter, and my hero, James. 😃 A normal preemie is born before 37 weeks, at about 2500 grams (5.5lbs) or less. A micro preemie is born before 26 weeks weighing less than 800 grams (1lb 12oz). (I googled this to make sure I had it right lol). James was 14 ounces when he was born, 10 long. I was technically at 25 weeks gestation but he stopped growing two weeks prior to that, and so they call him a 23 weeker. The doctors told us from the get go that his chances of survival are only 25-30%, and still are at this point. When babies are born this prematurely, their little bodies (very little) are incredibly undeveloped still. James lungs are still hazy in the x-rays, his eyes didnt open until he was two weeks old, his skin when he was born was so fragile that even the slightest touch by his doctor or nurse would bruise him. Thats why when I took the first pictures of him his skin looked a lot worse, because he was bruised all over his entire body from the delivery. I still have to be very careful when touching him because it still isnt very thick. His brain also still shows to be pretty flat all over, not all bumpy and ridgy (my words, not the doctors. They had better words lol) like ours or even like a normal preemie baby. He still has SO much developing to do, and it will all be in the NICU, not my belly like he should be. He is on a ventilator that is more gentle than normal ones because he cant breathe very well on his own until his lungs develop more. The ventilator literally vibrates his lungs a little which is so uncomfortable for him. Because his skin is so thin, his nerves are more sensitive. Its not comfortable with anyone touching him often or anything touching him or vibrating him like the ventilator, so he squirms a lot trying to make it feel better. And we dont want him to do that because it wastes energy that he needs to grow, therefore hes on a mild sedation every day. His little body didnt even start absorbing the fat from his formula until just recently. Hes now up to a whopping 1lb 8oz at 34 days old. At this point I have yet to even hold my son or even kiss his little face. I asked the doctor yesterday when I might get kangaroo time like all of the other moms and dads in the NICU, and was told that it wont be until hes off the ventilator hes on because he literally has to keep his head facing one direction and cant be moved really because of it. It will be at least a few weeks, if not a month or more (probably the more) until Ill get to hold my baby or kiss him. Weve only been allowed to even touch him a handful of times because hes still so fragile and also because if hes not having a VERY good day, extra stimulation such as touching him is a bad idea. To even go see him we have to scrub in as they call it. I get IDd almost every time I go in to see my son. Cant even see him without proving Im his mother to a nurse, unless that nurse already knows me... When James is finally able to come home, he will be on oxygen for at least a month or two, but possibly longer. The longer he stays on the ventilator, the more issues could arise also. It just depends on how his lungs develop and how fast. Ive read TONS of posts from micro preemie moms on the two pages I follow on Facebook for micro preemies (there arent many to choose from). There are TONS of different what ifs we are going to face with him, so many possibilities of things that could go wrong, health issues he may have that I could never list them all in this post. I learn something new every day when it comes to micro preemies and the struggles they face due to being born so prematurely and underdeveloped. I hope this post was decent and informative. I wanted to go into a little more detail about what we actually face, so that everyone understands a bit more. Ive been asked so many questions, and had so many people not truly understand just how TINY James is. Thats one of the reasons for this post. So thank you for taking the time to read this, for having faith in my son, loving him and praying for him. So many of his followers on this page dont even know me or my husband, and it amazes me every day how supportive and loving everyone is. Thank yall from the bottom of my heart for taking the time out of your days to read his posts, share them and to think about and pray for him. He truly has no idea how much hes loved. Hopefully soon my husband and I will get to hold and kiss our little miracle baby. 💜 But until we get to, hes going to keep fighting and showing us all how strong he is. 👊 Since James was born, Ive personally learned and witnessed what strength and will to live truly are. Hes only been out of my belly for 34 days and taught me so much on life, love and faith. My little micro preemie. 😍❤️💙💜 ~~ Larissa (James mommy)
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 22:25:15 +0000
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