World Prematurity Day

 Our big man Jaime was born 2 months to soon, those 2 months took us on a ride we never imagined we'd take.  I'm not going to bore you with all the details but the day Jaime entered into our lives was scary to say the least.  We went from a normal health pregnancy to a harsh reality of spending the next 6 weeks,  traveling 40 minutes to the NICU monitoring, watching, learning and trying to understand the situation we were in.   From that day onwards, I made myself a promise to detail every single detail and memory of his time in the hospital. I didn’t just want to remember it. I needed to commemorate his survival.    

Every year, on November 17th, parents, family and friends celebrate World Prematurity Day.   You may wonder “Why have a special day?”. You may wonder who cares. But moms like me do. Once you have a child born prematurely, you feel a connection … to others out there who have made the journey on the road you have. During the past 4 years we have made many friendships purely based on the fact that we travelled the same road.  You may honestly not realize but one in ten babies are born prematurely or roughly 13 million babies worldwide. They say it’s the number one killer of newborns and not only costs a family financially but also emotionally – we know.

So come journey with me as I celebrate World Prematurity Day!

 

My beautiful little miracle
Capturing the moment I met my boy.

Capturing how small he was, Jaime fitting into Ili's two hands



Capturing the size of his feet.

 

Capturing the moment, after 3 weeks in NICU, I was able to Kangaroo care
where he was able to feel my warmth and learn my smell.  I longed every day for my 20 minutes . 

These pics/memories still bring tears to my eyes, not because I hurt but rather out of pure relief that this little guy, and I mean little, has made a gigantic impact in our lives. 

Today I continue to capture his life through my blog, celebrating and commemorating.  And honestly I would not change a thing.  

We are thankful to the nurses and doctors of the NICU that worked hard at protecting our miracle.  To our family and friends we are thankful for the love and continued support you have provided us. To all the health practitioners that have helped and guided us throughout these 4 years, we are thankful.