Did you know that premature birth is the number one killer of babies? Yeah, I didn’t either, until this year. And I should have known it, having had two premature babies myself.
With my first pregnancy, for some reason I had a strong feeling that I would have a child with special needs, specifically Down Syndrome. I was actually surprised when, at my 20 week ultrasound, the ultrasound tech found a healthy baby.
Then, Brannon came early. I was not expecting that; I guess most people don’t. He was born eight weeks early, at 32 weeks, weighing 3 pounds 13 ounces. Being 18 inches long, he was a tall, skinny guy! He still had a lot of hair covering his body, and he just looked weird.
I hate that my first impression of him wasn’t “Oh how cute,” or “He’s so amazing,” but that he looked like a wet rat. I despise that prematurity took that from me.
How has premature birth affected you?
With my first pregnancy, for some reason I had a strong feeling that I would have a child with special needs, specifically Down Syndrome. I was actually surprised when, at my 20 week ultrasound, the ultrasound tech found a healthy baby.
Then, Brannon came early. I was not expecting that; I guess most people don’t. He was born eight weeks early, at 32 weeks, weighing 3 pounds 13 ounces. Being 18 inches long, he was a tall, skinny guy! He still had a lot of hair covering his body, and he just looked weird.
I hate that my first impression of him wasn’t “Oh how cute,” or “He’s so amazing,” but that he looked like a wet rat. I despise that prematurity took that from me.
How has premature birth affected you?
