Thank you to BCPMA Member Emily Pepka for this timely post! March 10 is Parents of Preemies Day. This post is a compilation of thoughts and photos from her blog, Twice the Miracle.
What
Prematurity Means to Me
by Emily Pepka
Today is Parents
of Preemies Day!
That might mean very little to some people, but to the 15 million moms or dads of babies born too soon each year, it means a lot.
That might mean very little to some people, but to the 15 million moms or dads of babies born too soon each year, it means a lot.
What makes prematurity even more difficult is that in so many cases, it can be prevented. With research, access to healthcare and just spreading the word and awareness, the risks of prematurity can be drastically reduced.
Prematurity
is very real and it's something you never expect. I was expecting the birth of
my first children to be the happiest day of my life, not the scariest. I was
hoping to be able to hold and cuddle my babies, but instead, I saw them wheeled
away barely breathing. I wanted to take them home with me, but instead, I left
the hospital empty handed and went back to an empty house with my little hearts
an hour away from me. I was hoping to spend our first few days bonding and
playing together, instead, I watched them struggling to survive through plastic
with tubes and chords everywhere and a constant beeping going on around me of
machines keeping them alive.And it's just not fair. Not fair that my babies got off to such a rough start. Not fair that my husband hardly saw them for the first few months of their lives. Not fair that I could do nothing but sit in the hospital and hold them and pray they'd be ok. Not fair that so many other parents have to go through this same thing.
Prematurity will always be a part of our lives. It's hard to forget about it now as we go to all the doctors appointments, meet with all the specialists, get the beloved synagis shots for the 2nd year in a row, but I'm not sure I'll ever forget those first few months, or this challenging first year with our preemies.
I know a lot of people look at them today and don't even think about them as preemies and I'm so happy that's the case. They have really overcome great odds to be the healthy wild pair that they are. I'm so grateful that we have been so lucky and that our babies are really starting to thrive.
I look at
their faces every day and I'm just overwhelmed with how happy I am to have them
and how much I love them. If anything positive came out of them being born too
soon, it's my never ending appreciation for how precious they are and how lucky
I am to have them.
So steal an extra kiss today from your little ones and tell them how much you love them. They are all little miracles.
About the Author: Emily Pepka is a proud Air Force wife and mom of twins. Her boy/girl
twins were born in June 2011 at only 27 weeks. Her blog, Twice the
Miracle (http://twicethemiracle.
Thank you, Emily, for sharing your story and your photos! Mine were born at 33 w, 5 d, induced because of twin-to-twin transfusion. Luckily, we suffered few complications, but the experience of tiny preemie babies is something that sticks with you forever. That camaraderie is one of the reasons I have such a great appreciation for multiples clubs.
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