Our baby Bryce came barreling into our lives and hearts when I was just 24 weeks along. He delivered at our home actually, and we gave him CPR until the paramedics arrived.
Despite the severe emotional trauma of Bryce’s birth it would prove to be those following months that would take their toll on us. I found that we put so much effort into surviving the NICU that we were ill prepared for the struggles of being home with a medically fragile baby and no nurses or doctors to quell our many fears and concerns. I began seeking out other preemie moms online, through the website Meet Up, on Facebook and through any other avenue I could find. But time and time again I found myself disappointed by the lack of availability for what seemed like a simple service.
And then one day at yet another specialist appointment, a fellow preemie mom, Allie Alter, recognized Bryce and as we briefly visited, both anxious to relate to someone, she mentioned Hand to Hold. [Read more...]
Have you ever had a friend whose circumstances are so overwhelming that you are exhausted just from imagining yourself in their shoes for a moment? Melissa Overy is one of those friends. And yet it’s difficult to say whether her determination or smile is her most admirable quality as she blazes a trail for her young boys with the weight of the world on her shoulders. “Indomitable” is the perfect adjective to describe her as one of her preemies is actually named “Dom.” At the playground you can see him and his older preemie brother, Aidan, as two happy, rambunctious boys jumping, climbing and running. But at home you will encounter his bleach baths, tubes and feeding pumps. We all agree that raising young children is challenging, but raising medically fragile children as a single mom must be completely overwhelming. But not for Melissa. She takes each day in stride and is not afraid to glance off at the the horizon often too. Each week consists of full-time employment, part-time education, single motherhood, specialists appointments, fevers that require emergency room visits, G-tube maintenance, and somehow even time as a Helping Hand volunteer at Hand to Hold. Below you’ll hear about this incredible mom in her own words.
Our hopes for a long pregnancy turned into praying for months, then weeks and finally days of trying to keep our twins from their imminent, premature delivery. We knew the odds were against us for an early arrival but never imagined our sons would be born 3 months premature, spending 9 weeks in the hospital before ever coming home.
October is National Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month. 78 infants are lost each day in the U.S. — 2,474 babies in Texas each year.
Will was born at barely 25 weeks. He was battered and bruised by the traumatic birth; he was just under 2 pounds; he was unable to breathe on his own and the doctors were not hopeful. Signing a DNR and baptizing your baby in the NICU within 24 hours of delivery is beyond horrifying. For everyone involved. But days of survival grew into weeks, and small hopeful signs joined the constant barrage of setbacks and the NICU is your only reality as you become an expert in one little baby’s every physical, medical measurement of health. And you sing. Everyday. To that baby.
