Many of you know that my baby girl was born 6 weeks early, at just over 4lbs. Within days, she had dropped to 3lbs, 11oz. After 15 LONG days in the Tacoma General Hospital NICU, we got to take our little girl home. Today, at 18 months old, she's as healthy as can be! Yet there's still some healing that my wife and I have to go through. I don't think I can explain the feeling of walking out of the hospital to head home for the night while your child lays alone in a small bubble, tubes and feeds and lines sticking and poking all over. That joy of holding your newborn on your chest? My wife didn't get to experience that, as our daughter was rushed from the delivery room to the NICU.
Friends still ask me when I'm going to get a baby sitter and leave my baby for a while. Although I know they're right, the reality is I had a baby sitter and left my baby for over 150 hours those first 2 weeks of her life. At a time when I feel the child is longing for her parents' touch the most, all I could do was stare at her through the lid of her isolette, wanting to hold her but knowing I couldn't. Like I said, I don't think I can explain the emotions, the sense of helplessness, the feeling of being a failure as a dad, the worry and fear that a phone call will come in saying "She's gotten worse." I can't, and don't need to, explain those feelings, because they are in the past and my little girl is fine.
Many parents aren't as fortunate. Premature births are a real problem, and ensuring that all babies are born healthy has become a cause that matters deeply to me now. Therefore I'm a strong supporter of March of Dimes. I'd love for you to join me in my efforts to give all babies a great start at life. On April 25, at 8:30AM, we'll be participating in the 6 mile "March for Babies" beginning at Wilson High School in Tacoma. My family and I would love to have you join us.
I understand that giving financially can be a challenge in today's economy, and I understand that this may not be the #1 cause that's in your heart. For those who are able to and desire to help financially, we'd be extremely grateful. Please visit our fundraising site to learn how. If you can't give at this time, but would like to show your support for this cause, please consider walking with us on April 25th. You can register on our site as well.
If you've got stories of premature birth you'd like to share, please feel free to comment on this post.
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Matt, I have very very strong feelings about premie births too. Don't know if you know that I used to be a childbirth educator, one of the things that were best about it was the fact that out of 100 students I worked with only one had an early baby and that was just 35 weeks and baby was just fine and went home the next day. Many of these women had some very very serious complications and difficulites, but education makes a huge difference.
One of the best sites with information on avoiding prematurity can be found @ the website www.blueribbonbaby.org.
There is also lots of good information in the books, Spiritual Midwifery, The Thinking Woman's Guide To a Better Birth and Mothering Magazine.
We are expecting our 4th right now and it's funny how no one understands the fact that I do not even leave my children for long enough to go to the grocery store for 10 minutes until they are at least 18 months old or more. I take them to work with me. They are precious and need their parents all the time when they are little and almost as much as they get older. ( and I feel like that with out my baby being early, the 3 hour separation when my first was born still has both of us scarred emotionally, so can't imagine what it would be like if a premie)
Great job for making your child a priority, that was one of my main reasons for going into RE because I wanted a job where I did not have to choose.
When and if you and your wife decide to have more, please let me know so I can share more information with you I would love to help you have a totally different experience!