National Prematurity Awareness Day

Before Brandon was born I didn't know a lot about premature babies. Now I know more than I thought I would ever know. Before he was born I thought preemies were babies that were born early but a little small. I never realized that preemies can be babies that are not finished developing and they can survive as early as 23 weeks. That is only a little past the half point in pregnancy.

Brandon was born at 26 weeks, 1 day. He weighed 1 pound 14 ounces and was 13 inches long. That is only an inch longer than a ruler. He had several blood transfusions, infections, ROP, a PDA, was IV fed, breathed with a vent, CPAP, and nasal cannula. I couldn't hold him for the first time until he was almost 2 weeks old except to lift him straight in the air to help weigh him. He lived in an isolette for more than 2 months. He had apnea spells and bradycardias. He spent 12 weeks in the NICU and came home on an apnea monitor.

Today Brandon is a 24 pound 2 year old. You can't tell by looking at him that he was born so early. He has come such a long way in the past 2 years. He has made me a much stronger person than I ever was. I am in awe of how much he went through and what a figher he is and has always been. He has taught me so much in the past 2 years and I am so grateful for him each and every day.

Brandon is not alone in his battle with prematurity. 1 in 8 babies are born prematurely. In a lot of the cases the reason for prematurity is unknown. Today is National Prematurity Awareness Day. Visit the March of Dimes website to join the fight against prematurity.