Any May 2008 babies born prematurely?

Leanne - posted on 12/28/2010

hi katie, i know how hard it was when your beautiful little daughter was born, my little joshy was born at 28 weeks gestation. it was very hard, emotinally and mentally. It would have been hard for your daughter that was 2 years old.I'm thinking of having another baby soon and i was told i would most probably have another premmie baby. how did your daughter cope and did she understand.

Julia - posted on 12/09/2010

MJ was born at 32 weeks gestation, she did not have to stay in NICU, she is doing great, shes is just doing things like walking and talking a little bit latter than her 3 older sisters, we are so happy to have her

Whitney - posted on 11/12/2010

Forgot to mention that she was 6 lbs 14 ounces and 20 inches long at birth. She was my mircle baby and was never behind in any milstones except talking but has caught up now at 2 and a half. She is also big for her age and wears a size 4 in little girls pants and a 5-6x shirt. Her shoe size is about a 9 right now I can't explain how she was completely and fully mature after being born so early but I am just lucky she was.

Whitney - posted on 11/12/2010

My daughter was born at 34 weeks and 5 days on May 24 but she was healthy and fully developed and went home with me 2 days after her birth. So she was never in the nicu but it makes me sad to think of all the babies that have to go there.

April - posted on 04/25/2010

My first preg was high risk and I went into labor at 32 wks but they were able to do hospital time, medicine and bed rest. This pregnancy was also high risk and my water broke at 33 wks and I delivered after my baby and I had reactions to the magnesium and she "failed" her biophysical. She weighed 4 lbs. even.

She had severe hypoglycemia, apnea, bad jaundice, heart rate issues, abdominal dysfunction and illeus which had to have a stomach suction tube. She spent right over 2 wks in NICU but as she was being released the nurses said the doc was very easy going and may have overlooked some things and they didn't really think she should go home for 5-7 more days. I wanted her home (and we did go home that day) but I was so very nervous! She also came home weighing under 5 lbs.

My son, kindergarten, had some issues after her birth. He saw her 2 times in the nicu- once for about 3 min and once for maybe 10. He started having "nightmares" which were daytime thoughts of being being sick and dying. We ended up taking him to a social worker/counselor which helped him with his thoughts. Took about 2 months but he never spoke of them again.

I think the hardest part for me was that my body didn't protect her. Seeing her with tubes etc. broke my heart. I am still very emotional when I discussed her birth and weeks after! Also, I felt very alone. I stayed each night (except 2) in the NICU sleep room and spent almost every day in our small nicu isolation room by myself. The docs, the nurses-some good and some not good...some made days better, some made days worse.

She will turn 2 on May 21. She does have a receptive/expressive language delay due to hearing loss with so much ear trouble but she's getting language intervention and doing much better. She has hit other milestones later and I just quit reading all the books about milestones! She also has congential cataracts. She has been so much more sick than my first child and spent another week at lebonher for having strep pnemonia in her blood stream and being septic.

Hope everyone enjoys their baby's 2nd bday! I cried and cried after her 1st so we'll see how this year goes!

Andrea - posted on 04/23/2010

My little one will be 2 on May 27th. I had fought with pneumonia during my pregnancy and she was literally falling out on her own when she was born 5 weeks early. She weighed a great big 5 lbs. and 4 oz. and was immediately whisked away from me as they thought she was having seizures. Several tests later they decided that she was just making faces and other than having horrible acid reflux she was fine. After the initial fear that there was something wrong with my only daughter the hardest part for me was that I had 5 boys at home who needed me too. I spent several hours driving to and from the hospital every day to take care of Mikayla and back home to fix dinner for my sons. Most of those car rides were spent in tears. Now my girl is a living tornado. She climbs everything, loves to unload the silverware drawer, talks non-stop and is a dream come true. She does seem to get sick easier than some of her brothers but her only real issue is Myers Displasxia which is a problem with her hip bones (like perthes disease but better). I have had to have a hysterectomy due to uterine prolapse from the pneumonia I had while I carried her so we are very blessed to have her.

Jenna - posted on 04/21/2010

My twin girls were born at 33 1/2 gestation on May 23rd. My water had been leaking for over a week and my doctor told me it was just normal "discharge". Well I got really infected had a terrible fever laying on my couch and couldn't move I kept throwing up and my stomach hurt really bad. My oldest daughter had had stomach flu the day prior so I thought thats what it was. My mom ended up coming to check on me and rushed me to the hospital. My labor had started and I just thought I was sick! and one of the babies sacs had gotten infected from leaking or something.
Of course dthat day there was a freak snow storm where I lived and the hosptial they had there couldn't take care of premature babies so they had to stop my labor, give me a steroid shot for their lungs and wait until a plane or helicopter could get out to take me to a larger hospital about 4 hours away driving.
Luckily they got me there and right away I had my babies. The first baby Cameryn was vaginal weighing 4lbs 6oz and Caitlyn came next c-section weighing 4lbs 2oz (this was the one with the infection). They both stayed int he NICU for only two weeks. Neither needed any help breathing they just had the feeding tubes because they couldn't suck and swallow.
Since I was four hours away from home and I couldn't leave them, after I got dismissed I had to stay a little over a week at the Ronald McDonald house by my self. It was really hard getting to the hospital to see my babies after the c-section but I managed and I'm thankful for my girls. Cameryn has no health problems, Caitlyn has little episodes were her fingers and lips turn blue but they can't figure out whats wrong with her. They reached their milestones a little slow at first but they have already caught up and are doing great!

Dana - posted on 04/20/2010

Congratulations to you all and glad they are all home...I have 23 month old twins that were born at 29 weeks I went into labor at 22 weeks and was in the hospital till 26 weeks and held them in until I hit 29 weeks. Lucas weighed 4.12 and Kenny came 2 min later and 3.11. Lucas was in the nicu 15 days and only had a feeding tube for 2 days they both had a hard time keeping there tempatures up. Kenny had a feeding tube for 9 days I always say it's b/c his brother was stealing his food...lol he came home 17 days later 2 days after Lucas that was super hard because I wanted to bring both of my babies home and I also had a 3 and 4 year old at home so it was diffucult to leave the babies at the hospital but my older boys needed me too and I went in and seen my babies everyday until they came home it wasn't easy at all to leave them. But now you would never guess they were preemies Lucas weighs 37 pounds and Kenny weighs 34 pounds and happy to say they have no problems at all on track with all development...I wish the best to all of you

Stephanie - posted on 04/19/2010

My daugher Emma Rose was born 5 weeks early on May 25th 2008 in Escazu which is a little town within San Jose, Costa Rica - i had placenta previa and was scheduled for a C-section to prevent something serious from happening. In the week prior to my c-section my doctor administered steriod shots to me so that it would strengthen my daughters lungs. She was born 6lbs 4 oz and spent only 2 days in NICU and then we both stayed together for an additional 2 days in the same room to make sure we were both doing well.
To date Emma is doing fantastic, she is a little late with some milestones - she walked at 13 months and is starting to talk more and more each day. ( her brother who is 11 months older then her, talks so much that i don't think Emma feels the need to talk - he says everything for her!! lol ) She hasn't really been sick more then my other babies were at this age. The average cold or ear infection but nothing too major.
She is such a happy little girl, but compared to some of the other little ones in her daycare room she is a touch behind. She will catch up as each day goes by - but we didn't have to experience anything near what you guys have been posting.
All the best to everyone!!

Barbara - posted on 04/19/2010

Karlie was born on the same day as my Emily Faith. She was only 3 weeks premature, and was pronounced healthy at birth, but developed some fluid in her lungs and eventually a pneumothorax (splitting apart of lung tissue from an air pocket that formed.) I too had a 5 yr old son at home who didn't understand what was going on. All I can say is Thank God for the Ronald McDonald House!!!!!!! Emily was hospitalized for 10 extra days, and her daddy, brother and I were all able to stay together right across the street. That way, either myself or my husband was with her almost around the clock. She is a very healthy little girl now, and meeting or ahead of her milestones. (Not sure exactly how to handle the "terrible twos" tantrums, but that is a topic for another conversation), LOL... Happy Birthday, Karlie!

Ali - posted on 04/19/2010

my son jacob was born at 24 weeks gestation on may 24th of 2008 weighing in a tiny 1 pound 9 ounces!! we spent 315 days in the hospital for the first stay and to date have spent
364 days in hospital!!
jacob has several commplications that stem from premature birth, he had a major brain hemmorage at three days of age that killed a third of his brain he then developed post hemmoragic hydrocephalus and necrotizing endocoliitis (dying bowels) and was the smallest person to survive this condition in our province!! he has chronic lung diesease and is oxygen dependant and uses a CPAP machine to help him breath at night,he is also strictly tube fed as he lacks the ability to swallow, he has to date had 15 surgries 11 of which were in his brain, the others are all bowel realated. he is a very specaill boy but sooo sooo happy he laughs and smiles all the time and has no idea that he is any different, he is learning to sit independantly and can grasp and bat at toys chew his fingers and make poop just like any other kid!! we too look forward to celebrating his 2nd birthday as it is a milestone we had been told we would never reach !! he is doing so well considering he shouldn't be able to move or undersatand the world around him, we are so greatful that he is so strong and stayed here with us even though it was and still is soooo he is a testament to the wonderful health care system we have and the many many specailists that have helped us and scared us he has proved them all wrong and done way way better than they ever thought he would !!
the hardest part of nicu stay was for sure the talks about ending treatment and the sometimes pessemistic attitudes some doctors have

Helen - posted on 04/18/2010

Hello ladies! my son Dylan was born May 23, 2008, at 36 weeks 6 days. I had a rough pregnancy and was put on bed rest at 21 weeks for having contractions and an incompetent cervix. I prayed everyday that he would stay in for as long as he could. I was so sure I was going to lose him since my cervix kept getting shorter even on bedrest. I have been on all kinds of medication for contractions, had steroid shots,progesterone shots and had a home nurse check in on me weekly. It was a hard pregnancy to be on bedrest for 15 weeks with a 2 year old that you couldn't lift. I feel for all you mommies who had babies in NICU. I guess we all had rough pregnancies. Thank god we have all pulled through, and just think of the unconditional love we receive from our little miracles. My children are the air I breathe, without them I could not live.Good luck and Godbless all of the babies in this world.

Twanette - posted on 04/18/2010

Hello Katie ...

My youngest son, Zephan was born at 24.6 weeks weighing in at 1 pound, 10.6oz. He spent 5 months in the NICU before being transferred to a rehab hospital for a month to wean him off O2 and get him started with EI therapies.

As we approach his 2nd birthday (May 27, 2008) I often find myself silently thanking the powers that be for my TODDLER ... he is such an amazing baby and I am so very blessed to have him (I lost 2 sons prior to Zephan due to prematurity).

He's doing quite well ... suffering with 3 colds the last 3 months (NEVER been sick the first year and a half ... talk about MIRACLES!!!) He does have delays but they are more contributory to him having Down Syndrome versus prematurity. He is NOT immunized though I did allow Synagis the first year (declined this year). Any medical/health concerns I have for him are developmental ... DID I MENTION HOW BLESSED I AM? Many children with DS have heart related issues, thankfully Zephan does not so our biggest concern were for his lungs (He was diagnosed as having Chronic Lung Disease) and as I've mentioned he is JUST experiencing his first colds which I've managed with his nebulizer (Pulmicort and Xopenex) ... NO MD VISIT required. :)

The hardest part for me/us is over ... once I got him home (Nov 21, 2008) we never looked back! I'm only focusing on his future ...

PS ... I'm soon to be a San Antonio resident! Hey neighbor-to-be ....

April - posted on 04/18/2010

Hello. My daughter, Karli, was born May 13, 2008 at 24 weeks. She was 652 grams (1lb 7 oz) and 11 inches long. She stayed in the NICU for 6 months, 4 of which she was on the ventalator. She has chronic lung disease and thankfully qualified for synagis this year as well as last. She came home on oxygen and a feeding tube. In the beginning she had continuous feedings 24 hrs a day. Slowly we were able to give her bolus feedings. At about a year old she began to learn to suck from a bottle so we would have her drink as much as she could before we finished her feeding thru the tube. Today, she eats pureed foods and drinks PediaSure to be sure she gets enough calories. She does still the the feeding tube in place but she doesnt rely on it for nourishment. I want to have it removed, but having it throughout the winter helped keep her hydrated when she got ill. (When she didnt have the desire to drink anything, I would give her Pedia Lite and Pedia Sure through it). She began crawling in Dec. 09 and now is cruising along the furniture. Hopefully soon she gains her balance and starts walking! Her speech is delayed which is expected. She says about 10-15 words. She loves watching Nick Jr.. Yo Gabba Gabba is her fave! She does throw the "normal" 2 year old tantrums when she doesnt get her way. She is tiny, weighing only 18 pounds and so I have to remind myself she is almost 2 so I don't treat her like a 9 month old (that is the age she looks by her size). She is still on oxygen but hopefully we will be rid of that soon. She will always have a few health issues but she is doing great. After a heart surgery, laser on both eyes, collapsed lung, and several other set backs, she is now healthy and on her way to being a toddler!

Tina - posted on 04/18/2010

My son, Kadon, was born on May 7, 2008 with a due date of June 20, 2008. He also developed a little bit slower than normal. The only issue we have now is that he is not really speaking yet. He says small words like "no", "da", "go". He doesn't say any bigger words or small sentences. Other than that he is doing good. We enjoy watching his daily discoveries and interaction with his older siblings. The hardest part of him being in the NICU was that they would not let me nap while I was holding him. He wasn't in the NICU very long. He was only in a little less than 2 weeks but only because they wouldn't release him until I had healed from my emergency C-Section. He was on oxygen less than 4 hours so we were extremely lucky that things didn't turn out much worse.

Anoushka - posted on 04/18/2010

Hello everyone. My name is Anoushka and I'm British/Irish. I'm reading all of the stories on here and think my daughter was very lucky considering. I really feel for all of you! My daughter was born premature at 34 weeks and was so healthy. She weighed 7 ibs 8 ozs in May 08 in the UK! As it was I had premature bleeding twice first at 26 weeks then at 30 weeks, and received next to no medical care. The state medical care in the Uk is terrible. Luckily my daughter held on until she was 34 weeks. I was worried but so relieved that she was such an amazing birth weight and always healthy. I was sick during my pregnancy because of my uterus and kidney. After my daughter was born, my uterus and cervix ruptured and I hameoraghed 3.5 litres of blood. Thanks goodness people give blood, received 7 pints f blood and it saved my life. I am slowly getting my health sorted out. Currently live in South Africa but will be going home to Europe to live later this year.

Michelle - posted on 04/17/2010

My son was born at 35 weeks on May 23,2008. He was 5lbs 8oz and was thankfully very healthy. I had an emergency csection because of preeclampsia but we were both released after just 4 days. Today he is a healty, smart, beautiful almost 2 year old!

Summer - posted on 04/17/2010

My daughter, Kiyana, was born on May 23, 2008 at 25 weeks, 5 days. She weighed 1 lb 10 oz and spent 131 days in the NICU at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, MI. She was taken by emergency C-section due to oligohydramnios and an infection in my amniotic fluid. Her lungs were in rougher shape than a normal due to a bacteria that we didn't know I had, called urea plasma. It got into her lungs, and she was on a ventilator for almost 3 months, until they gave her a research drug called Flo-Lan. Within 3 days of starting that medication, she was off the ventilator. She did go home on a very small amount of oxygen, but was off within 2 weeks. She is almost 2, and amazes me everyday. Sometimes I look at her and I can't imagine everything that she had to go through to be here today. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy in her right leg, so she is having some difficulty walking. Other than that, she is doing fantastic! She has never been hospitalized since she was released from the NICU.
The hardest part was having to see her go through all that she did and not being able to do anything about it.
We are now expecting Baby # 2, and she is scheduled to come out (via C-Section) on August 11th. At this point, the only issue is that my fluid is on the low normal side, but still good, and no other issues have come up!

Glenna - posted on 04/17/2010

My son was born May 20 2008 as well he was born at 30 weeks and weight a whopping 3 14 lbs, u said u didn't qualify for the RSV shot? im surprised my son Nate did, but i guess in the states is different than Canada, my son was moved all over the place I started my jouney in ottawa because i had placenta previa i was on 28 weeks and was there for 2 days then they few me to kingston where i stayed for 3 weeks then i hemmorrage and had my son he was in nicu for 5 days there and then back to ottawa for 12 hours at cheo the the ottawa civic where he stayed for 5 weeks. he was my first son and the hardest part for me was all the moving around and not being able to spend everyday with him, he didn't have any major problems the reason for the moves was because there was no room, i requested to stay in kingston because my sister in law lives there and i would have been able to see him everyday. and also when he was born his head was severly brusied it was purple when he was born there not sure y, his frontnelles where shifted over and they thought he was going to need surgry, but it straightened out on his own and we had check ups i was so worried i thought he was going to be mentally chanllened but he's perfect and today he is amazing he has no delays in anything except his speech but thats expected with any 2 year old today

Tina - posted on 04/16/2010

Hi my daughter Chelsea was born at 35 weeks. She was 4 ib 11 oz. She stayed in the NICU for 8 days and I got out after 4. She only had to have the cpap overnight the day she was born and she was on feeding tubes and they had the oxygen in her nose. i only got to see her a couple minutes after she was born until the next day. I had a csection they did the spinal. I got to hold her for the first time when she was 2 days old. Now she did get the synage shot but she still got RSV when she was 6 months old. Other then that she has been pretty healthy. She was a little slow crawling but not that much and didn't start walking until 15 months but other then that she talks up a storm which some words you cant understand but she does good for the most part and she also does some basic baby signlanguage which she picked up on quick. She has made her own sentence before. she has pretty much been on schedule with her checkups. She is really smart too. It's hard to believe she is going to be 2 on May 29th. Where does the time go...

Rachel - posted on 04/16/2010

Hi! My son, Gavin, was born at 31 weeks. He was pretty big for that age, he weighed 4 lbs 5 oz when he was born. We were very very fortunate, he was breathing on his own and never had any problems. He was born in Roanoke, Virginia, which is about 2 hours from home for us. They told us that he would have to stay in the NICU until his due date, which was not for another 2 months. However, he only stayed in the NICU in Roanoke for 2 weeks before he was transferred closer to home. He stayed in the second NICU for 5 days before he was able to come home. I think that the hardest part for me was the driving and the worrying. We were not able to stay in Roanoke with the baby, so we were driving back and forth everyday to see him. I was so afraid that something would go wrong with him and I would be 2 hours away. I would worry myself sick about him!!! I'm so glad that that experience is over and that everything is fine. Gavin was a little behind as far was walking and crawling and sitting up were concerned. However, when it comes to talking, he is very very advanced. He can say about 250 words and is putting sentences together like crazy. I really really hope that I do not have anymore premature children!!!!

Jasmine - posted on 04/14/2010

Hi Katie, wow our kids share the same birthday! Lachlan was Born 20th may 2008 at 26 weeks also! but on the other side of the world in New zealand, he was born at .995grams, and was in Nicu for 11weeks. Its amazing how simular they are! I am unsure what Synagis is, but Lachie had very strong lungs etc aswell and was off cpap in 4 days,The hardest part was the unknowen of everything for me, a first time mother, no antenatel classes(i was ment to go the day i went into labour), and then like some of the other mothers have commented, feeling as tho you have to ask to do anything with your child, and also being in the nicu with other mothers whose children were in the same situation but in worse conditions, which made you unsure of how to feel if yours made it through and theres didnt, i also had to be in a different town to my partner as he had to go back to work in our home town , so we only saw each other in the weekends when he wasnt working and that was extremely tough becuase it felt very lonely sometimes, espesially when you cant just go and pick up your bub.

Lachies development now tho is absolutly extrordinary, there have been no complications in any department, (espesially with food boy that kid loves his food lol), and im so happy he is great with his mental development also, the only thing the Docs are concerned about is that sometimes he is running on his tiptoes which can cause shortening of his calf and achillies heel muscles.

I think we are very blessed to have these children, and hopefully your oldest will no in due time that mama will never actually leave and always loves her. Hope Karlie has a wonderful 2nd birthday next month.

Takecare xoxxo Jasmine

Kelly - posted on 04/14/2010

my son xander was born may 13,2008 at 30 weeks gestation.. my water had broken one week prior to that day but they immediately admitted me to the hospital and were able to hold off labor for another week..(since every minute in the womb counts!)..he was in the hospital from may 13 til july 9 he came home july 9 which was 2 days before his original due date..today he is simply awesome..he will be two next month and is talking some, beginning to count, and we are beginning potty training...he is doing wonderful!

Mary - posted on 04/14/2010

My little girl Nevaeh was born at 33 weeks on May 25, 2008, and weighed 4 lbs 4.9 oz. She had jaundice and feeding issues. Surprisingly she only spent a week in the NICU. She still has some issues. We're suspecting possible autism in her due to some developmental delays she has. She also has asthma, reflux, and numerous allergies and has had pneumonia twice and had to have tubes put in her ears in June 2009. I know how hard it can be. even though we only spent a week in the NICU. I also had two little boys at home and Nevaeh was born by c-section due to being breech. My now 5 year old and now 4 year old both have had issues and are both on the autistic spectrum so it's been really rough for all of us.

Angie - posted on 04/14/2010

I feel so lucky having read some of these posts about little ones with health problems. Adam was born by c-section at 34+3 due to me developing pre-eclampsia. He was in SCBU for 4 weeks and had jaundice and reflux. When he was born he weighed 4lbs 7oz and when he came home he was still under 5lbs. He's been following 25th centile since then really, so he's now about 80cms tall and weighs 25.6lbs, he's a bit small compared to his full-term peers but not shockingly so. I found the whole experience very traumatic and I developed post-natal depression, which put quite a downer on being a new mum! My problems aside however, I'm so very happy to have a perfectly healthy little boy. He was slow to smile (at 11 weeks) but since then he's not shown any signs of slower development. Whenever we discuss the possibility of having another child, I worry about the same situation happening again, as we might not be so lucky next time and another preemie might have health problems or worse. I know that if you have pre-eclampsia again then it's often milder and later in on-set but you never know and sometimes I think we should just continue being thankful for our beautiful boy and leave it at that!

Rebecca - posted on 04/14/2010

My Austin was born 33wks weighing 5lb 4oz, he spent 2 wks in scubu as he had slight respiratory problems most likely due to giving me pethadine as they thought I'd be in labour for alot longer than I was. He's a strapping boy now lol nearly as big as my 3yr old although she is small for her age.
All my 4 have been early, Callum 28wks May 2002, 2lb 7oz spent 2 months in scubu. Summer 36 wks 5lb 11oz Aug 2006 came straight home and Heidi 33wks 5lb 9oz less than 48hrs in scubu and a wk on the ward.

Sue - posted on 04/14/2010

My Adrian Ruthann was a 30 weeker she was 4lbs even 19 3/4 inches long was doing very good for about 19 days then got very ill she has Hirshbrungs diease epilepsy reflux has had 2 major surgerys a minor surgery and looking at maybe another major she was in the nicu 6 weeks but spent most of the first 15 to 16 months in the hospital .

Nicole - posted on 04/14/2010

Lucky for me my son was born at 36 weeks and weighed 8'6. He was very healthy except for having jaundice. Now he is full of energy much more than my older child had.

Mary - posted on 04/13/2010

My son was born at 31 weeks. I had been in hospital on bedrest for 3 weeks before that as my waters had broken following a fall I had. He was NICU for 19 days, and weighed 2.1kg at birth. He has mild cerebral palsy as a result, but is strong willed and deteremined. He started walking at 19 months, and is now, very slowly, starting to speak. Unfortunately for us the few wors he says are spoken with a down syndrome 'accent' as his brother has downs, and is his favourite person to be around. The thing that always surprise me is that whenever Jayden says a new word he only ever says it in context. So mama is only ever me, dada his dad, and lately my brotha for David, his sister is called bu her name! It has been a long journey and I sometimes woner about his future as we are not yet sure about any congnitive impairment, but he is determined and so are we. I'm so glad to hear of so many healthy preemies out there.

Nycole - posted on 04/13/2010

my son braydan was born may 31 2008 6 weeks before his due date, he weighed 5.8 lbs i was having heart problems due to the extra blood volume and they wanted him out so that he could grow more , the meds i was taking for my heart was starting to slow down his growth., while in the NICU they did and ultrasound of his little ticker and found a large hole and a problem with the mitro valve, .both required open heart surgery at some point , Braydan had his open heart surgery 2 day after his 1st b-day and has made a full recovery as have i

Sallee-anne - posted on 04/12/2010

jarryn was born at 30 weeks weighing 3 lb 2 oz.....he has been a very unsettled baby only sleeping through the night the past 2 months, although jarryn commando crawled at 9 months he didnt sit until 15 months, crawled on all 4s at 20 months and at 22 months just recently pulling himself up onto furniture. Jarryn is very slow with his speech but babbles all day long. Being a 41 yr old mum i thank the lord for this precious little boy that i wasn't meant to be able to conceive....although he is very demanding and such a handful, very stubborn and determined..im lucky to have him and love him to bits, he will eventually catch up but being so early it all takes time and im enjoying every minute i have with this beautiful little boy of mine.....:)

Toni - posted on 04/12/2010

my son was born 10th may 08 at 31 weeks weighing 4lb. had no problems at all and came out 2 weeks later the day before my birthday. hes an absolute monster now and yes hes diddy but growing up you would never have nown he was preemie he sat up and crawled at 5months and walked at 11mnths. slept through at 13weeks. i was blessed with an angel. slow on speech but hey u cant have it all. its so nice to hear about the other stories xxxxx

Angela - posted on 04/10/2010

My son was born 5 weeks premature and was 5lbs 1oz, 16.5". He spent 2 weeks in NICU, but didn't really have any major issues. It was just more to keep his weight up while trying to establish breast feeding. His only major issues now is he's had gastrointestinal problems and delayed language use.

Stacey - posted on 04/10/2010

My son Tyler was born May 23, 2008 (my 25th birthday) at 30 weeks. He weighed 2 lbs 1 oz. We spent 2 months in the NICU and since being released he has been SOOO healthy. He has barely even had a cold! He was a little behind developmentally but he is catching up nicely.

Tzigane - posted on 04/10/2010

my little guy was born the day before yours, May 19 2008 at 33 weeks. he weighed 4 lbs 9 1/2 oz and only spent 8 days in. he is my second preemie. my daughter was born at 30 weeks and weighed 3 lbs. she spent 48 days in the NICU. compared to her experience, this time around was a cake walk.

i began having contractions at about 20 weeks and my cervix started dilating at about 24 weeks. thankfully he stayed in there as long as he did and we were able to get him the lung shots. although i did spend the last week of his pregnancy in the hospital because they determined that i had a high leak and were unsure of how long i had been leaking fluid. that combined with the huge amount of contractions i was having made them admit me. it was no fun.

the hardest part about all of this was my husband had resigned and we were planning on moving the weekend after he was born. so all of our belongings and our daughter (8 at the time) left for Missouri with my MIL that weekend. Micah was still in the NICU. he came home on Tuesday and then we left for Missouri on that Friday. A 16 hour car trip turned into a 3 day adventure with an 11 day old preemie!

He is in great health today. He is always on the go, loves to be outside, and has a vocabulary that is unbelievable. And he is right around the same height as others that were born right around the same time. He is a little on the small side weight-wise as he is only 22.8 pounds right now! But he will get there

Julie - posted on 04/10/2010

My daughter Morgan will celebrate her 2nd birthday on the 23rd of May! Can't believe how time flies!!

She was born at 30 weeks and 3 days, weighed 3lbs 9ozs and thankfully was healthy. We had our scare before her birth, as I went into labor at 22 weeks. They were obviously able to hold off delivery for almost 9 weeks by keeping me medicated and on bedrest in the hospital from the end of March to the end of May. I had a 3 year old at home at the time, which was hard and tore me apart, on top of the stress of trying to stay pregnant.

Morgan came home with us after 21 days in the NICU even though she weighed less when 5lbs when they released her. Looking at her today, you would never know she was a preemie! She is in the 50th percentile for height and weight - which is actually higher then my first born at the same stages. She is behind on some milestones, but we don't let it bother us - we know she is her own person and will do things when she is good and ready (she proved that with her early arrival!).

Joanna - posted on 04/10/2010

My son Eric was born on May 09, 2008 at 24 weeks gestation. He weighed 450 grams and spent 109 days in the NICU.

The hardest part of the NICU was not being able to hold him for the first month. There was also the waiting game. Having to ask for permission for every little thing. Ugh, so many.

Eric has to be on a feeding tube because he has severe reflux. He does not eat anything by mouth. A little disconnected and possible mild autism. No words yet. Not hitting milestones and falling very behind ins some areas. That's the bad.

The good is how sweet and loving he is. He is bright even if he is behind. Stubborn, which is both good and bad, LOL. He will all of a sudden hit his milestones and surge ahead. It just takes patience and working with him. The bright side of the feeding tube is that he gets all of his calories and maximum nutrition. He was nothing but skin and bones when he was born and seeing him now, with his chubby little legs, makes me so happy.

We didn't qualify for Synagis either last year, but did the first year. Our ped told us it was because his lungs and body were very healthy and he didn't have chronic lung disease. There was also a shortage here and only the most fragile babies qualified. Maybe that is why Karlie didn't qualify?

Joanne - posted on 04/10/2010

hi katie,we are about to start potty training,we have a potty in the living room for a few months just to get her used to it,and she will sit on it sometimes just before she gets in the bath but hasent done anything yet! she watches her big sister who is just 4 go to the toilet so hopefully she will want to copy her, and be a big girl!!! its a bit sad really i want her to stay a baby a bit longer,have you had any seperation anxiety with karlie,emmie has just started to become afraid of the bath,she sobs and shouts me when we put her to bed its really strange she never went through it when she was younger,it seems to have happened just as her speech has improved alot!

Angela - posted on 04/10/2010

My daughter Hailey was born May 29th and she was 7 and a half weeks premature. she wieghed 4 lbs 1 oz at birth. The hardest part for me was that i didn't go into early labor on my own. I had a very severe case of pre-eclampsia so the doctors decided it would be best to get her out of me as soon as possible. I had alot of guilt because there was nothing wrong with her it was me that was sick. I didn't want to be induced and give birth a tiny baby but the doctors explained that if she stayed inside me not only could i die but she could as well because my blood pressure was getting extremly high.After she was born she was in the NICU for a little over three weeks. She was very healthy except she had alot of trouble digesting and would spit up almost everything that she took in. Today she is doing great! She never really had any problems once we got her home from the hospital she hasn't been sick at all and she has no delays what so ever. I am so excited for her birthday it is going to be a blast!

Melissa - posted on 04/09/2010

My daughter Marissa was born at 35 weeks and weighted in at 4 lbs and 14 ozs. She was no where near as premie as Karlie but still. She was healthy and since I had a Csection was released from the hospital before I was. But all in all she is doing great now

Katie - posted on 04/09/2010

Joanne,
Yes, I felt terribly guilty when I was at the hospital and away from my older one, and then when I was at home I felt guilty for not being at the hospital. It all worked out in the end! I'm just like you in that I had a LOT of catching up to do with holding and cradling. I don't think I put her down for the first few months she was home. She slept on my pillow and was always in a sling so she never left my side :)

Chelle, I was furious when they denied her Synagis this past season. She got it the first season, but this time they said that since she didn't have any problems she couldn't get it. You better believe that after she was discharged I called our insurance company and asked them if next year they want another $25,000 bill for pneumonia or if she'll qualify - they said they're already working on it (but I know how that goes

Have either of you started potty training? My older daughter was ready for panties when she was 22 months, but I don't think Karlie is anywhere near ready. I don't want to push it, but I don't want to give her an excuse to stay in diapers forever either!

Chelle - posted on 04/09/2010

My son was a preemie, 33 weeker. He spent 7 days in the NICU. I got out of the hospital myself just the day before he did. He has GERD, asthma, tracheobronchomalacia, dysphagia, and a milk and soy protein intolerance. I think that's all, LOL. So much to keep up with, you know? Anywho, he does pretty good. He didn't walk til he was almost 17 months.

The hardest part of having him in the NICU was I was so sick myself and could ardly get out of my room to see and hold him. It sucked that he couldn't be in my room with me. I wanted my baby, you know?

And I can't believe she didn't qualify for synagis! That is BS! My son qualified and he wasn't nearly as premature. He didn't his first yr but this last season he did b/c of his lung issues. I can't believe she ended up in the hopsital because of it and it could have been prevented, I am so sorry!

Joanne - posted on 04/09/2010

hi katie my daughter emmie was born at on the 22nd of may 2008,at 36 weeks so nowhere as premature as karlie,she was only in special care for 8days and that was hard enough! i also had a 2 and 8 year old daughters at home its so hard and you feel so guilty,emmie has had bronchitis and pnuemonia she is still under a specialist as she has also had around 10 -12 chest infections and her lungs are quite weak however she is the picture of health and has just started talking in sentences and she is so funny, she runs circles around her big sisters and me! i think her being in special care has made our bond very strong maybe because i wasent able to hold her as much in the first few days,i made up for it afterwards she is such a mummys girl which is nice as the two other girls are all about daddy!