Hi, This year I am joining Kidspot Social on a "52 weeks of grateful" journey. Where every week I will try and write something that I am grateful for. Here is my post for Week 1.
I would love it if you joined me on this journey. Tell me, what are you grateful for this week?
I am grateful for living in a country that has hospitals containing Neonatal Intensive Care Unit's (NICU's) with its medical equipment, technology, and all of the amazingly trained & highly skilled Doctors, Pediatricians, and nursing staff that help save the lives of premature babies.
Three years ago today, our miracle baby, who is affectionately known as "Popette", was born at 29 weeks + 3 days weighing a tiny 1.145kg. Popette was due in March 2009, but after I developed severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome she had to be delivered by emergency cesarean.
During the time Popette was in hospital, a whole 51 days, she was on a ventilator, in a humidicrib (incubator), on a CPAP machine (Constant Positive Airway Pressure), tube fed formula when I couldn't provide her with breastmilk, she under went light therapy for jaundice, given steroids to help develop her lungs, and had various sensors taped to her tiny body monitoring her breathing, oxygen levels, temperature, heartbeat etc.
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| Popette on CPAP |
Luckily Popette wasn't on the ventilator very long, just 40 minutes after she was delivered. She was on CPAP for 13 days, and under the "lights" for a little jaundice for 2-3 days. Apart from that, she didn't have anything wrong with her, she was just out in the big wide world too early.
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| Being treated for jaundice |
If we lived in a third world country, who knows if they would have had all the equipment or technology that would have been needed to ensure our baby girl could breathe properly, and be in our lives today.
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| All hooked up |
We will be forever grateful to the amazing Doctors and nursing staff at both Westmead and Nepean hospital who treated myself and Popette.
