National Prematurity Awareness Day

As the mom of two preemies, one micro preemie and one late term preemie, I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't been very proactive in putting out the word about ways to help fight prematurity. Those who have followed our story from the beginning are well aware of the struggles we've faced with Justin's early arrival. And although we've been very fortunate and Justin is doing remarkably well for a 24 weeker, we're still dealing with issues from his prematurity.

That being said, today is prematurity awareness day, a day to remember, honor and celebrate special babies. So please give what you can so that the March of Dimes can continue the research and programs that may one day prevent premature birth.

DAC Appointment

Weight: 23.2 lbs, less than 5th percentile
Length: 31.5 inches, less than 5th percentile

Thursday Justin had an appointment with the DAC (Developmental Assessment Clinic) which is run by the neonatologists at the hospital where he was born. They were responsible for all of his medications, oxygen, nebulizer treatments, etc. so needless to say he had frequent visits after he was discharged from the NICU. They also monitor his developmental progress, thus the name, lol.

But I was pretty nervous about this appointment. Even though I think J has made great strides (all things considered) and seems to be on track developmentally I was worried about what the Dr's would say. Sure I can tell them all the things he's doing, but of course there are some things I may forget. And it's hard to get a full picture of where a child is developmentally just from an hour long appointment. And obviously there's the issue of his size and weight gain.

The occupational therapist evaluated Justin first and J did great. He stacked blocks upon request and then had a ball putting various sized pegs in the right holes. When the OT put it away he walked over to the OT's bag and pulled it back out. He was able to put shapes in the proper spots and called out each shape as he did it, except for triangle which he can't say. He got upset when the OT switched sides and sizes on him to see if he could put smaller shapes in the correct spots. Of course we all know how much J loves balls so when the OT brought one out he smiled and ran towards him yelling ball.

Then Dr. E and Elaine, one of the nurse practitioner's, came in and examined J. We discussed the OT's assessment. Overall J's doing pretty well, he's excelling in some areas but is behind in others (i.e. does not throw or kick balls, use 2 or 3 words together or ask for items by name). Since he still sees a Special Education teacher through the Early On Program they weren't concerned about his gross motor skills and cognitive learning. But they'd like him to get a speech evaluation, so I scheduled an appointment for the 1st week in December.

Diet wise Dr. E was happy. He asked about his activity/energy level and when I told him how active J is he said that's a good sign because kids who aren't getting what they need nutritionally would be lethargic and non-responsive. And although J is small for his age I FINALLY got someone to say "yes, he's small, but now we look to genetics". That being said we have a GI appointment Friday so we'll see what she says, but it should be good. J's eating has improved tremendously and he's gained 3 lbs since his last appointment a month and a half ago.

Here are some pictures while we waited to be seen. J loved scribbling on paper with Grandpa Smitty's pen. I think J may be left handed like me but he kept switching hands when he was writing so we'll see.

Home on bedrest

After 5 days in the hospital I'm finally home. I'm still having contractions but since I'm not dilated and my cervix is still long and closed they sent me home on medication to help control the contractions and put me on bedrest for the rest of the pregnancy. The next 5-6 weeks will be tough but at least I'm home, I missed Justin.

Admitted to Hospital at 31w, 5d

I felt uncomfortable when I woke up yesterday morning, but no more than usual. But when I got to work I was feeling even more uncomfortable, so my boss offered to drive me home. I called my dr. and they told me to come in to get checked out. But they didn't notice anything so they sent me to the Hospital for monitoring. As it turns out, I'm contracting, so they started me on magnesium sulfate (what fun). I can't eat or get out of bed for 24 hours while on this, BUT, it does seem to be helping the contractions. Things were pretty quiet overnight, but I had a few this morning and now they've subsided again. I also got my first steroid shot yesterday. Initially they thought they were going to have to deliver me early and then decided to try and stop the labor/contractions. I'm due for my second steroid shot around 2pm, around the same time the magnesium stops. At that time they'll evaluate if I need to continue on the magnesium or if they can switch me to something else. At any rate, I'm not going home today. Even if they're able to stop the contractions/labor they'll transfer me to the antepartum unit for a few days before they send me home. Looks like bed rest for me from here on out.

Premature birth on the rise, see how you can help‏

I received this article from The March of Dimes that I thought I'd share.

The March of Dimes speaks up for babies every day -- and on Prematurity Awareness Day, we make sure even the smallest babies are heard.

The March of Dimes has released a Premature Birth Report Card for the nation and every state. We scored a D overall because the number of babies born too soon in our country is 60 percent higher than the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2010 objective of 7.6 percent. State-by-state grades are also available in the Report Card. Visit marchofdimes.com and find out how your state measures up.

For the past few weeks, we've been asking everyone to sign our online Petition for Preemies and help us send a message to our newly elected local and national officials. Thousands of caring people have already responded. If you were one of them, thank you for your support! If you missed it, go to marchofdimes.com/petition. Don't forget, you can sign up for advocacy alerts to make sure you won't miss any opportunities in your area and nationally.

You can help by sending this message along to family and friends!