Since the birth of my son, I have felt compelled to help other preemie moms. There is certainly a connection felt between those moms that have had the same experience as you - one of seeing your child for the first time, through a plastic box, with tubes and wires covering most of their body, unsure of what to say or do as the nurses hover around your tiny baby.
From the moment we found out we were expecting, we were excited! We did everything right, went for all the doctor appointments and read all the baby books! What those books didn't prepare us for was having a baby that would be born early, so sick and so tiny. At just short of 30 weeks, I had developed Pre-Eclampsia and the only cure was delivery. Our son, Aidan, was born at weighing just 2 lbs, 12 oz. He was also born with a birth defect called Cleft Lip (which was unrelated to his prematurity). The whole NICU experience was a lot to take in, but we were making our way and Aidan was doing well. Unfortunately, at one week old, Aidan developed an infection in his stomach called Necrotizing Entercolitis (or NEC). NEC is common among preemies but is typically treated with medication and stopped feedings. In Aidan's case, those did not help and things were not getting better. The infection had caused small holes in his intestines, so the only option was surgery. At 10 days old, my little peanut had surgery to removed 1/2 of his large intestines and an illeostomy to allow his stomach to heal. Recovery was slow, but Aidan was one of the lucky ones - he survived. We spent at total of 71 days in the NICU before coming home. Three years and three surgeries later, Aidan is a happy, healthy toddler. He amazes me every day!
Aidan is my inspiration - he is the reason why I want to help other families!
