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Conference moira::parenting

Title:Parenting
Notice:Previous PARENTING version at MOIRA::PARENTING_V3
Moderator:GEMEVN::FAIMANY
Created:Thu Apr 09 1992
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1292
Total number of notes:34837

91.0. "Premature babies" by ELMAGO::PHUNTLEY () Tue May 05 1992 00:24

    I had written in the previous version about my premature neice,
    Tara Kristen, born at 26 weeks gestational age.  I just wanted to post 
    an update and let everyone know she is doing great.  At birth, 3-20-92,
    she weighed only 1 lb. 12.5 ozs. and is now up to 3 lbs. 8.5 ozs. a 
    month and a half later.  She does not have any serious health problems
    and is growing great leaps and bounds.  She is on a ventilator but on 
    a pretty low setting (12-14 whatevers?) and seems to be progressing
    much faster than expected.
    
    Thanks to all for your thoughts, prayers, and concern.  
    
    Pam
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91.1great newsDEWEYD::CHADSEYTue May 05 1992 13:235
    TREMENDOUS NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!  Heather was around 3 lbs when she wore her 
    first dress.   I still have the dress and marvel at the fact that she
    was ever small enough to wear it.
    
    Susan Chadsey
91.2RE:TARA KRISTENCSLALL::LMURPHYThu May 07 1992 13:538
    Pam,
    
    I am so happy for all of you!  This brings back such memories of my 
    best friends twins also born at 26 weeks....for 5 years now I just 
    look at them and marvel!!!  We had the photo album out last week-woW!
    Tara Kristen is destined to be a very special little girl!
    
    Linda
91.3Just an update on TaraELMAGO::PHUNTLEYTue May 12 1992 18:428
    Tara is now up to 3 lbs. 15.5 ozs. and off of the ventilator.  She is
    under an oxygen hood and doing very well.  If she continues as she is
    she may be moved out of the isolette into a crib by the end of the
    week.
    
    Thanks to all for thoughts and prayers.
    
    Pam
91.4what great news!MEMIT::GIUNTAWed May 13 1992 14:1012
That's such wonderful news!  Sounds like she's doing just fine.  Don't be 
surprised if they keep her on oxygen for a while, but she'll graduate from the
hood to a nose cannula for the supplemental oxygen. That's the natural
progression, and pretty much all the babies follow that path, but some need
oxygen longer than others.  

Keep us posted, and make sure they take lots of pictures of her especially
with the same toy so you can see how much bigger she's getting.  

I'm so happy she's doing so well.

Cathy
91.5another Tara updateELMAGO::PHUNTLEYFri May 22 1992 20:2313
    Just another update--Tara is 2 months old today and doing super!
    She is up to 4 lbs. 9.5 ozs., wearing only an oxygen tube in her nose
    and taking three bottle feedings per day.  The nurses expect her to
    stay in NICU for another week or so and then move into the regular
    nursery for a few days before going home.  She truly is our miracle
    baby and everyone is marveling over how well she has done.  To go from
    under 2 pounds to almost 5 in two months is remarkable.
    
    Thanks for all the prayers and concern--I really believe that is what
    has pulled Tara and her family through.
    
    Regards,
    Pam
91.6Thank God!MACNAS::BHARMONKEEP GOING NO MATTER WHATSat May 23 1992 03:586
    Pam,
    
    Brilliant news, Thank God!
    
    
    Bernie
91.7STUDIO::POIRIERMon May 25 1992 19:5713
    Pam,
    
    God bless Tara and her family.  It's a long road to the 5 pound mark,
    and it sounds like she is doing super!!!  Hope you have lots of
    pictures, she will grow up sooo fast.
    
    I kept one of Shannon's premie diapers to remind me of how little she
    was.  It is amazing to look at it every so often and marvel at God's
    work!!
    
    Let us know when the big day comes when she is home!
    
    beth
91.8A trip to HollandSTUDIO::POIRIERMon Nov 22 1993 21:1860
    I came across this story when I was hanging around the NICU after my
    second premie was born.  I could really relate to many of the emotions 
    described in this story.  After many weeks (13 and 5 respectively) in 
    the nicu with both kids, and then almost three years of follow-ups for 
    Shannon, my memories of childbirth and the precious days after are 
    dramatically different to other people's...This articulates my
    experience and helped to get through the rough times (thesecond time
    through)
    
    Welcome To Holland (author unknown)
    
    "I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a
    disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique
    experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel.  It's like
    this...
    
    When you're going to have a baby, its like planning a fabulous vacation
    trip - to Italy.  You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful
    plans.  The Colosseum.  The Michelangelo David.  The gondolas in
    Venice.  You may learn some handy phrases in Italian.  It's all very
    exciting.
    
    After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives.  You pack
    your bags and off you go.  Several hours later, the plane lands.  The
    stewardess comes in and says, 'Welcome to Holland'
    
    'HOLLAND?!?' you say, 'What do you mean, Holland?  I signed up for
    Italy!  I'm supposed to be in Italy.  All my life I've dreamed of going
    to Italy.'
    
    'But there's been a change in the flight plan.  They've landed in
    Holland and there you must stay.
    
    'The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible,
    disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease.  It's
    just a different place.
    
    So you must go out and buy new guidebooks.  And you must learn a whole
    new language.  And you will meet a whole new group of people you would
    never have met.
    
    It's just a different place.  It's slower-paced than Italy, less
    flashy than Italy.  But after you've been there for a while and you
    catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that
    Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips.  Holland even has
    Rembrandts.
    
    But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're
    all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there.  And for the
    rest of your life, you will say, 'Yes, that's where I was supposed to
    go.  That's what I had planned.'
    
    And the pain of that will never, ever ever go away, because the loss of
    that dream is a very sinificant loss.
    
    But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to
    Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely
    things about Holland."