Tuesday, November 17, 2009

It’s Time to Fight For Preemies

by Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and Editor

In honor of National Prematurity Awareness Month, Midwife Connection is participating in the March of Dime’s Fight for Preemies, a blog event to raise awareness of the premature birth crisis. Every year, 20 million babies are born too soon, and half a million of them are born in the U.S. Today is the day to put a face on prematurity by blogging for a baby you love. We asked ACNM Facebook fans to tell us their stories. Here’s what they shared [please note that some comments were edited to preserve patient privacy]:

Cristal M Churchill
I took care of a lady who had twin-to-twin transfusion. She was being seen by MFM [Maternal Fetal Medicine] and OB due to her high risk status! Then she came in laboring and was c-sectioned at 30 weeks. We were so worried about them that first night. I remember being there and crying with them. As I finish my CNM degree, this family will always hold a spot in my heart.

Sharon Harkey
My beautiful IVF nieces born at 31 weeks because one was IUGR [intrauterine growth restriction]. Luckily, I started teaching OB clinical 2 days later at that hospital with a group of 8 RN students. It gave me precious access to the NICU to visit them while they grew over the next 6 weeks. They will be 4 in January and are doing wonderful, thanks to those awesome nurses! And all my students are out there practicing with a better view of OB thanks to taking clinical with a CNM!

Lisa Weston
My beautiful daughter, Zoe, now 17...preterm labor with dilation at 28wk, home uterine monitoring, terbutaline, SROM [spontaneous rupture of membranes] and delivery of my 4#8oz girl at 34 wk. So strong-willed, so mad at the world from day 1...always precocious, graduating from high school, a semester early (natch!) in 4 short weeks.

Leigh Wood
35 weeks gestation, his mom had prom [premature rupture of membranes] at 32 weeks and held him in and safe until she could deliver with us instead of at a tertiary care center.

Jackie Robins
My precious Eli and Vinny, preterm labor held off til 36 weeks. Eli had nasal CPAP for several days. Thank God for the advances in NICU care!!!!!

Let’s continue the fight for preemies. If you have a story about a premature baby you know or cared for, add a comment to this post. (Midwives and other health care providers, please remember to observe HIPAA privacy regulations. If you're not a health care provider, feel free to share as much as you want!)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Melissa:

Thank you for for participating in the fight for preemie event and for believing in our cause.

Together one day we can all make a difference.

Once again, thank you for supporting the March of Dimes.

mitchsmom said...

As an L&D nurse I've worked with many premature births... I hope we can continue to find preventative measures for preterm birth and continue to educate women on the importance of carrying babies to term (for the women who want to be induced TOO early & don't understand the ramifications).

I do donate to the MOD.

Ciarin said...

My son was born at 34 weeks, suffered from undetected chronic brain bleeds, and will now never live completely independent. I get tired of the blase attitude towards these late premies (34-37wks). They are likely to do better but bad things can still happen.

Anonymous said...

I am a former preemie, weigh 1 lbs.and 3 oz. I was born in the Spring 1976, but was supposed to be a September baby. So I have always support the causes of that preemie babies.