Have you thought about it?

Have you read about preemie babies in the UK? Recently there was an article that called for a board to be established that would determine whether or not a preemie baby had what it takes to survive. And when I say preemie, I'm talking about babies who are born extremely early, as in before 28 weeks. One of the Drs. there said that he didn't like to even try to resuscitate before 24 weeks, but it was up to the parents.

When I read this article, and a few others like it, it broke my heart. If we lived in the UK, my daughters wouldn't of even had the chance to fight for their lives. They were born at 23 weeks and 6 days.

I am not trying to say that every preemie should be kept alive. Sometime, it prolongs the inevitable and they are only put through trials that they don't even have the will to fight. However, I do believe that every baby who has a chance to survive should be given that chance. Who are we to say that they don't deserve to fight for the chance to live, to go home with their parents who love them? Who are we to say their life isn't worth fighting for just because they were born too early?

I am one of the lucky ones. I recognize that every day. There are things only a mother of a preemie goes through. I celebrated when they doubled their birth weight and they were only 2 lbs. I did not have a normal 'preemie in the hospital' experience. This is mainly because my daughter fought the entire time and had very few complications. There are many stories I have read about people who have preemies in the hospital and there are so many more complications that could have happened with my girls but did not.  We were so blessed.

My daughters were born at 1 lb. 5 oz. and 1 lb. 4 oz. I was on hospital bed rest for 9 days before they were born and during that time I was given many drugs to help the babies have a better chance once they were delivered. I was given a shot to help their lungs develop and also magnesium (which is a neurological protector, even though it was given to me to stop labor). It was these drugs that helped my babies be strong enough to survive outside the womb.

It certainly wasn't easy. They were born C-Section and even though they cried when they were born, it was still hours before I got to see them. They were intubated and there were many tubes helping to keep them alive. Those first days were really hard. They had lots of apnea and bradycardic episodes. They were both flown to a different hospital to have a PDA ligation. They were co-bedded after about a month of being in separate incubators. They had weekly eye exams and both had to have laser eye surgery because they developed ROP. There were other minor things that came up, but for the most part they did extremely well in the NICU. They struggled with gaining weight, like any normal preemie. When the time came for them to be ex-tubated, they remained on the Bubble-C pap almost immediately. They continued to come down on their oxygen to the normal C pap, the high flow, then eventually low flow and they came home on very little oxygen. Once home, they were completely off oxygen withint 3 weeks.

These are amazing feats for a micro-preemie. The mere fact that they were off their oxygen in 3 week is amazing. Many preemies born that small are on oxygen for almost a whole year at home.

But what if they weren't allowed to prove to the world what fighters they are? Just because they were born extremely early, should they not have been given the chance to live? Today, they are almost 2 years old. They have a birthday in 2 weeks and 1 day. I am so grateful they are still in my life. They have taught me so much about patience and perseverance.

 

 My girls are 8 months old. (wearing 3 month clothes)

I understand someones reasons to not try to save their preemie's life. But I do not and will not agree to the fact that babies shouldn't be saved based on when they were born!!! There are some babies who are born on time that have more complications than my 24 week preemies did. Were their parents told that they were going to be given a chance?

What are your thoughts? Should preemies not be given a chance just because they had the misfortune of being born too early? Please tell me your thoughts!

An update of sorts

Well, we've been on our own, without family here for over a week now. I'm really missing everyone and all their help with the kids! Ben especially misses his Nana and grandpa and uncles and Aunt. He keeps telling me he wants them to come over for brownies and to play with him.

Well, I'm here to check on my goals and see how I'm doing:

Goal 1: Monitor Blood Glucose
   I've been doing really well at this one. Not prefect, but pretty good!

Goal 2: Work out
   No doing great at this one, I got the stomach flu a few days ago and my stomach is extra sensitive lately. I did try out my new Zumba for wii and it was pretty fun except it didn't really register me on the remote so I have to try and fix it!

Goal 3: Read the Book of Mormon
   I actual found a chart that lists what to read if you want to the the BoM in a year. Its only a few verses - half a chapter (ish) a night, and while that might seem lame, it is actually working really well for me. It keeps me ging every night because I know I have enough time to read a little bit but not too much that I'll say I'll skip it until the next day. It is also getting me in the habit of reading every night, which is why I do it this way. Also, I chose this way because I can read word for word and ponder that few verses without having so much to think about! LOVE IT!

Goal 4: Preschool
   We've already done one at the Library and I'm getting together with another friend this week to start planning what we want to teach!

Goal: Craft Project
  I know what I'm doing this month, so thats worth something, right? I'm gonna make leggings as part of the girls' birthday outfits and also making their initials on canvas with buttons. They're gonna be super cute!!

Well, thats a for tonight, I feel I'm doing pretty good on my goals, something that doesn't always happen. Thanks for all the encouragement!

New Year, New everything

So, its been awhile since I posted. Well, tons has happened. Toby got into grad school, We graduated, we moved, everyone from my side of the family came for Christmas at our new place, we rang in the new year, get to go to a new ward and get used to a new state and city. Phew, that's a lot.

So, now that you're all caught up, I thought I'd write down my goals for this year, just to make myself accountable. And to make sure I have it down somewhere. I usually lose my notebooks or the kids destroy them. So, here they are:

Keep a record of my Blood Glucose Levels (4 Xs a day)
    - I haven't been keeping a record, even though I know I should be. My levels have been so good, that its just annoying. I'm actually keeping this one so far!

Workout at home 3 Xs a week and on campus 1X a week
    - Toby got me Zumba for Wii and Mom got me Just Dance 3, so I have no excuse not to work up a sweat or raise my heart rate a little. I plan on running to doing the elliptical on campus once a week.

Read the Book of Mormon
    - I printed out a pre-made chart to read the Book of Mormon this year. I've kept this one going, too.

Do home and Library preschool with Ben.
    - I'm going to teach Ben at home before he starts Kindergarten next year. We don't have money to put him in a real one, and its not even that necessary. I did find a free class at the Library for his social interaction, even if I am in the same vicinity. I'm very excited for this!

Complete 1 big craft/ home improvement project a month.
    - This month its gonna be either dresses for the girls' or leggings for their birthday party. I'm also gonna attempt pants for Ben. We'll so how that goes!

My last goal is a secret. Lol. I'm sure if you're smart enough, you'll figure it out, but you'll have to wait a long time for this one to be revealed. No, it hasn't already happened, but hopefully soon, it will.