The Life and Times of a Preemie

It was our preemie’s first day at home. He weighted in at five pounds two ounces, a healthy size considering where he had begun, on March 19. He'd arrived home, one month ahead of his original due date, a remarkable achievement considering he was born over three months early. I carried him to a large window, introducing him to the clouds in the big blue sky, his first official science lesson. It was a warm sunny day. I was in awe of this tiny person we had created and Sick Kids Hospital NICU had saved. ... Now he was ours, to have and to hold. It was now May 18, 1979.

My thoughts of the future began that day. The preterm milk had helped bring him home one month early, maybe saved his life. (Nearly 25% of preemies die because of the 'death' of their intestines brought about by their early birth.(  I had learned what I could about premature birth through books, asking questions. I was an 'intern' mother now. The internet was just an idea, then, making its way into our lives.  The computers in 1979 could fill a room. Today they fit on our laps. To verify my 1979 facts on premature births, I went online before writing this story. The earliest research I could find was dated 1980. How odd.  Had Sick Kids not conducted their research prior to 1980 and not mailed their findings in a pamphlet, for the public, I would never have learned about the significance of preterm human milk, fresh, whenever possible, for our son. ... (A note of thanks was sent to Sick Kids. I was so humbled by the ‘advice’ and so grateful for the sharing of this information. Research had made a significant difference in our son’s life.)

I was now on duty round-the-clock. Positive health outcomes did not always follow early births in 1979. Our son eventually began nursing by 3 three months of age with a lot of practice and  formula supplementation. ... Bath time became another opportunity to help our baby gain weight and strength by reconnecting with his prior fluid filled world, the womb. It had been a safe, tranquil haven, rife with nutrients that had been called ‘home’ for too short a period of time. The warm water of bath time helped to mimic the pristine world of the womb, the only world he had ever known up until the shock of his early birth. ... I would spend many hours holding him, talking to him and helping him interact with his new environment. ... Then he would sleep. ... Having two large dogs in the house became an interesting observation between man and beast. A blanket for the carpeted floor became  a part of his daily exercise ‘equipment’. It would be folded and put away for  his next 'journey into space'. (Contact with animal hair etc. was minimized as his immunity had been seriously compromised by his prematurity.)

Speech therapy was begun by the age of 4, in readiness for kindergarten. Throughout this period, outdoor play with his two younger brothers helped our former preemie reach many of the speech and occupational milestones expected of him. Simple unadorned play was the order of the day.  With 3 boys, (all born 13 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks too soon, respectively.) and arriving within a four year period, life was very busy. 

Our first born now had two built in ‘home grown’ speech therapists living with him plus two furry ones. They were all his peers. He would learn about the exciting world around him from them. Their daily lives were in constant motion, from morning till night, explaining, doing, running, laughing asking questions, while talking their way into each others' hearts and minds.  The best was yet to come.