In the month of November, whenever you see this purple ribbon, it is a symbol to represent Premature Baby Awareness. The March of Dimes has declared World Prematurity Day as November 17.
Premature birth has been defined as babies born prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy. I have heard some physicians refer to 35 weeks for multiple birth. Babies who survive premature birth are also at risk for having long-term health issues.
According to the March of Dimes (marchofdimes.com), there are 380,000 premature births each year, which means that 1 out every 10 babies are born prematurely. The March of Dimes is dedicated to reducing premature birth in the United States through research, advocacy, education and family-centered NICUs across the country.
The March of Dimes estimates that of multiple births each year, prematurity occurs in 50% of twin births, 90% of triplets, and virtually all quadruplets and high-order multiples in the United States. The earlier the birth, the greater the health risks. To learn more, please visit their website. The amount of research that the March of Dimes does is impressive and incredible. They have given each state a "report card" on their website, and I'm happy to report that as a state, Massachusetts comes in very low compared to other states.
While the subject of prematurity can be scary and bleak, take comfort to know that many of us have been through it and our babies, with the help of the wonderful doctors and nurses, have turned hopeless situations into stories of hope and optimism.
On VeryWellFamily.com, I found an article written in October 2019 titled "The Impact of Prematurity in twins and multiples" by Pamela Prindle Fierro, which gave more information about premature births among twins and high-order multiples. Babies that are born closer to their due date are less likely at risk for serious health complications because their organs have had more time to develop in the womb.
Premature births can impact every organ in the body, however, most premie multiples who receive advanced medical care in modern hospital facilities have a better chance to overcome challenges.
My Preemie Story
My twins were born nine weeks premature at 31 weeks. During my pregnancy, I was hospitalized at 23 weeks, and I "lived" at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston (about two months) until my twins were born and went directly to the NICU. I was visited by two doctors who I refer to as "evil pediatricians" because they began their visit with, "If your twins survive..." and continued to tell me all the health problems they could be at risk for. I was already a high-risk pregnancy, and by 25 weeks I had no cervix, which means that the babies are ready to be born at any time, which was way too early. I had no control over when my babies would arrive, and the pediatricians scared the hell out of me. Luckily, I was able to remain pregnant for six more weeks. Doug was born at 3 lbs 12 oz, and Gabe was 3 lbs 6 oz.
I had a fabulous morning nurse named Phyllis, who told me every day I stayed pregnant was progress. She even made me a calendar and made a big X across each day I stayed pregnant. I tried to stay focused on positive things in my life, things that made me happy, and my husband brought me countless comedy movies, TV shows and stand-up comedy specials on DVD. He even pre-screened visitors, ensuring no one would talk to me about anything that would stress me out or make me feel sad.
This was ten years ago. My fraternal boys are doing fine, but the first two years of their lives, we were worried about everything. Our family members thought we were overreacting, but we did everything the doctors told us to. We kept the babies away from smokers and dog dander for their first 3 years. We made sure anyone who came near them sanitized their hands before touching them. Even with all the precautions, they were still hospitalized two different times within the first year due to respiratory issues. It is very scary when your babies can't breathe. As their immune systems built up and they grew stronger, they eventually grew out of it.
I'm living proof your preemies can be okay! But, you need to educate yourself, listen to the pediatricians, and don't listen to anyone who doesn't have an MD after their name. Another thing we did in the fall and winter months was to take them out for a stroll in the cool air, probably after about 6 months of age, or put them on a blanket to feel the grass on their toes, and get them used to breathing cooler air, to help their immune systems get used to different temperatures. I'm really glad we did that, because it only helped their immune systems get stronger.
We now feel grateful, but when your babies are in the NICU, and every day has new challenges, it's very scary. You see how how small and fragile they are, but the best thing about the NICU are the nurses, who guide you, teach you, coach you along, and make you feel good about everything you are doing to help the babies. At my first club meeting I felt lost because everyone else had their twins at home and mine were still in NICU. Another mom approached me - her twins were a few years older than mine - and gave me the best advice ever. She told me to go out with my husband, or to a movie, because right now in NICU, they have the best care. When the twins come home, we may not have that luxury, so the message was "do something for yourself while you can." Taking care of yourself and your spouse is not being selfish.
The bottom line is this: being in the club helped support me in my time of need. It was not obvious to me at the time, but over time I realized that having the club as a resource was invaluable to me so I could be a good mom to my twins.