Becoming Aware

According to the March of Dimes website, 1 in 8 babies born in the United States is premature. Each November, the organization hosts Prematurity Awareness Month as part of its campaign "to address the crisis [of prematurity] at home and abroad." This is the second November my family and I will observe Prematurity Awareness Month.

In November of 2009, I did not yet know that prematurity would touch my family. I would not find this out until the next month when early one Saturday morning my water broke. I was lowering myself on the floor to wrap my nephew's birthday present when it happened. At first, I thought I had lost bladder control, and for some reason, I felt it necessary to make this embarrassing announcement to my partner, who was still sleeping. He looked at me like any man who had been awakened with the words "I think I wet myself" would. The words that followed, however, changed his expression. "It's happening again," I said. Ten minutes later we were on our way to the emergency room.

In the days and months that followed, we became aware of what prematurity would mean for our family. We learned that our baby would be born sometime between 24 and 34 weeks. Dozens of doctors and nurses overwhelmed us with information on the risks she would face because of her prematurity. We also learned that with each week we were able to delay her birth, her chances of surviving and avoiding major complications improved. At 28 weeks, the risks would drop drastically. She was born the day we reached this mark.

After her birth, we became aware of the level of care a premature baby needs in order to make it home. We also had to face the harsh reality that not every baby gets to go home. Our NICU story ended happily, but this was not the case for the family of one little boy who shared a room with our baby. He was there one day, and the next there was an empty bed. For ten weeks, my biggest fear was that empty bed.

My fears were not completely eased when we finally did go home because premature babies and their families face even more challenges in the outside world. Each of these challenges has made me more aware of how fragile life can be.

In observance of Prematurity Awareness Month, I will, over the course of the next 30 days, devote this blog to the challenges of prematurity both in the hospital and at home. I will go through the alphabet, discussing one challenge each day all the way from A to Z. (I will take three days off at Thanksgiving because I will be spending this time with my family.) My ultimate goal is to reflect on what an awareness of this issue has taught me and to share my perspective with others. I hope you will stay with me to learn more about what prematurity means for millions of families like mine.