National Prematurity Awareness Day
Nov. 12, 2008 No Comments Posted under: Uncategorized
Each day in the U.S. more than 1,400 babies will be born prematurely. November is National Prematurity Awareness Month and November 12 is National Prematurity Awareness day. Celebrate the day by signing the March of Dimes Petition for Preemies here and visiting the March of Dimes website to learn more about premature birth.
Obviously this is a day that is near and dear to our hearts. Littlest has done amazingly well and at 10-1/2 months is healthy and happy. She was born 14 weeks early at 1 pound 1 oz, about 13 inches long, spent 104 days in the NICU and came home April 7, 2008. You’ve come a long way Baby!
January 2008
October 2008
How Preemie Moms are Chosen ~
By Erma Bombeck
Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen?
Somehow, I visualize God hovering Earth, selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.
“Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron Saint…give her Gerard. He’s used to profanity.”
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. “Give her a preemie.”
The angel is curious. “Why this one God? She’s so happy.”
“Exactly,” smiles God. “Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel.”
“But does she have the patience?” asks the angel.
“I don’t want her to have too much patience, or she’ll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair.
Once the shock and resentment wear off, she’ll handle it.
I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother.
You see, the child I am going to give her has a world of it’s own. She has to make it live in her world, and that’s not going to be easy.”
God smiles. “This one is perfect. She has just the right amount of selfishness. “
The angel gasps, “Selfishness! Is that a virtue?”
God nods. “If she can’t separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn’t know it yet, but she is to be envied.
She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says “momma” for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it.
I will permit her to see cleary the things that I see - ignorance, cruelty, prejudice - and allow her to rise above them.
She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side.”
“But what about her Patron Saint?” asks the angel, his pen poised in the air. God smiles.
“A mirror will suffice.”
“Exactly,” smiles God. “Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel.”
Once the shock and resentment wear off, she’ll handle it.
You see, the child I am going to give her has a world of it’s own. She has to make it live in her world, and that’s not going to be easy.”
The angel gasps, “Selfishness! Is that a virtue?”
“A mirror will suffice.”
