Childbirth in my life....
I have seen many births, 8 so far . All of them in hospitals and one almost on the side of the road. I have had 2 children myself. I am choosing to talk about my first child being born...
My husband and I had a difficult time getting pregnant. We decided to start trying two years after being married, got pregnant and suffered a miscarriage. It would be 6 more years before success! The pregnancy started out good, no morning sickness! At 25 weeks we had our first scare, I started spotting blood. I ended up in the hospital and there they discovered my blood pressure was a little high, but never found the reason for bleeding. I stayed in the hospital for three days and was sent home on strict bed rest. I had to go in for blood tests and doctor visits every week. Nothing was showing up on my tests but my blood pressure being a little high. In my 27th week I went to my doctors appointment, an ultrasound. My labs had finally come back showing what was going on, and it wasn't good for me or the baby. During the ultrasound they noticed that the blood vessels were restricted and the baby was not as big as he should be. My labs came back and with all the information my doctor had they diagnosed me with H.E.L.L.P syndrome.
****HELLP Syndrome is a series of symptoms that make up a syndrome that can affect pregnant women. HELLP syndrome is thought to be a variant of preeclampsia, but it may be an entity all on its own. There are still many questions about the serious condition of HELLP syndrome. The cause is still unclear to many doctors and often HELLP syndrome is misdiagnosed. It is believed that HELLP syndrome affects about 0.2 to 0.6 percent of all pregnancies.
The name HELLP stands for:
H- hemolysis ( breakdown of red blood cells)
EL- elevated liver enzymes (liver function)
LP- low platelets counts (platelets help the blood clot)
Resources:
American Pregnancy Association
http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-complications/hellp-syndrome/ ****
I was very sick and now it wasn't only about my baby's health, mine was in danger too. The only thing that could help both of us was for the baby to be born. At 27 weeks, by c-section, we welcomed Enrique Meilo Juan into the world. He was 1 pound 10 oz and 12 1/2 inches long and whisked straight off to the NICU. He was 3 months early and we did not know what to expect.
We got very lucky! After three months in the NICU he came home. Today if you saw him you would never even think that he was born that early! The only issue we deal with is asthma when he gets sick.
We understand that in many cases people are not as lucky as we were.
Childbirth Around the World...
Premature birth happen all around the world, not one country is exempt from this. The difference between the countries is the survival rate of being born premature.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO)
* Inequalities in survival rates around the world are stark. In low-income settings, half of the babies born at 32 weeks (two months early) die due to a lack of feasible, cost-effective care, such as warmth, breastfeeding support, and basic care for infections and breathing difficulties. In high-income countries, almost all of these babies survive.
* More than 60% of preterm births occur in Africa and South Asia, but preterm birth is truly a global problem. In the lower-income countries, on average, 12% of babies are born too early compared with 9% in higher-income countries. Within countries, poorer families are at higher risk.
Resources:
World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs363/en/
Poverty and poor or no health care can severely impact the life expectancy of a preterm baby. I know from experience that it costs thousands upon thousands of dollars to care for a preterm baby. My husband and I were lucky in that regard also. We had very good health insurance and because he was born so small he was automatically enrolled in the free state insurance. From Meilo's birth to when he left the NICU is cost almost 1 million dollars!! We always joke with him that he is our million dollar baby and it really is no joke.
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| Meilo: 1 lb 10oz 12 1/2 inches long |
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| Meilo 7 years old |
Childbirth Around the World...
Premature birth happen all around the world, not one country is exempt from this. The difference between the countries is the survival rate of being born premature.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO)
* Inequalities in survival rates around the world are stark. In low-income settings, half of the babies born at 32 weeks (two months early) die due to a lack of feasible, cost-effective care, such as warmth, breastfeeding support, and basic care for infections and breathing difficulties. In high-income countries, almost all of these babies survive.
* More than 60% of preterm births occur in Africa and South Asia, but preterm birth is truly a global problem. In the lower-income countries, on average, 12% of babies are born too early compared with 9% in higher-income countries. Within countries, poorer families are at higher risk.
Resources:
World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs363/en/
Poverty and poor or no health care can severely impact the life expectancy of a preterm baby. I know from experience that it costs thousands upon thousands of dollars to care for a preterm baby. My husband and I were lucky in that regard also. We had very good health insurance and because he was born so small he was automatically enrolled in the free state insurance. From Meilo's birth to when he left the NICU is cost almost 1 million dollars!! We always joke with him that he is our million dollar baby and it really is no joke.
Brandie,
ReplyDeleteYour post was very inspirational. I am so happy that you and your son made it despite all of the possible odds against you guys. Having just come home from a 4 day stay in the hospital with the labor and delivery of my son, Christopher, I know a 3 month stay had to be overwhelming. My husband and I would get upset when the nurses would come in at 3am and take all of my son's clothes off and un-swaddle him to get all of his vitals and run tests, as he was expected to be a low birth rate baby and was delivered via c-section. We are thankful to be home and able to establish a normal routine with him. My husband is active duty Navy and we delivered at the base hospital, so we are also fortunate enough to not have one single medical bill. I doubt my son is a million dollar baby lol, but we are blessed to have such a sweet angel and I'm sure the feeling is mutual with your bond with your soon :)