Awareness

Today is Prematurity Awareness Day, part of Prematurity Awareness Month. This campaign has been set up by the March of Dimes to raise awareness of the serious issue of premature birth. http://www.marchofdimes.com/mission/prematurity.html  
In addition to raising awareness the March of Dimes also raises important funds for research through their Prematurity Research Initiative. http://www.marchofdimes.com/research/prematurityresearch.html

We are more aware than I ever thought we would be about what it is to have a premature infant. The process of letting go of your expectations of what you had previously defined in your mind for the experience of welcoming your baby into your family is a very complex one. Having to rely on a medical team, having to put all of your trust in a group of people you haven’t met to care for your baby is a huge step that you are forced to take not gradually, but immediately. There is no time to adjust, there is just the reality that you must accept, you must move quickly and you must be prepared to do what you need to do for your baby. As we moved through the process of having Sophie so early, knowing she would be in the NICU for so long, knowing that we didn’t have much control over the day to day, our only choice was to move to acceptance and do the best we could every day. Many people said to us, “you are so strong, we don’t know how you do it.” The truth is we didn’t feel particularly strong. We did it because we had to, we had no choice but to do it, so we did. It is amazing what you can handle when you have no other option.

During this month of prematurity awareness, I wanted to remind myself how fortunate we are. How fortunate we were to be in the right place at the right time and to have access to some of the best medical care available. My hope is that making people aware of and giving support to organizations like the March of Dimes will prevent more families from having to go through what we did, and if they do, the medical technology will only improve, improving the outcomes for their babies.

One of the other parents who was in the NICU at the same time we were shared a quote with me, that really speaks to this experience, "Dostoevsky said that instead of cursing our suffering, we should pray to be made worthy of it." This is not a path I think any of us would chose and it is not a path I would ever want anyone else to have to go down, but I do feel like I am changed for having gone down it. For me, it is important to be aware, to reflect on all that has happened and to appreciate all the blessings of the present. Dylan will be five this week. Sophie will be at the party. It doesn’t get much better than that.