In honor of upcoming World Prematurity Day on Monday, I sent out the following tweet:
It was favorited and retweeted among those who celebrate World Prematurity Day. A prematurity poster toddler of sorts.
You see the before and after pictures. Maybe you think that prematurity is no big deal. These babies seem to turn out fine.
But, these pictures are oversimplifications… only part of a story. What is missing from these posts is everything in between.
What you don’t see is the three months she spent in the NICU perilously clinging to life while enduring countless painful tests and procedures.
What you don’t see is the long demoralizing walk from the ER to pediatrics upon her readmission to the hospital for complications due to her early arrival.
What you don’t see are endless therapy sessions and appointments with specialists in which we hope for and ask from her things that are arduous.
What you don’t see is how hard she worked for every little bit of progress.
What you don’t see is how, over two years later, prematurity continues to affect her life every single day.
What you don’t see are the babies who didn’t survive.
With all of the before and after pictures that are and will circulate in honor of World Prematurity Day, please keep in mind the things that you don’t see. Surviving premature birth is no small feat.
November 14th, 2014 at 12:54 PM
I do think, before I knew you, that those pictures were misleading. It’s AMAZING Charlie is who she is. You and she (and Neil, putting so much in as provider and father) also work hard, every day, foregoing so much, for her to continue the trajectory of her growth and development. I think past the first few months, that’s invisible to most of us, and it’s part of why your blog is so important.
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November 14th, 2014 at 4:43 PM
Thank you for acknowledging the babies who do not survive their premature birth and reminding us all that “success” looks different for every child!
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November 14th, 2014 at 7:14 PM
Yes!!! Exactly. This is why I think it’s so important that we share these stories and that we have things like World Prematurity Day. So much more than just having a tiny baby!!!
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November 14th, 2014 at 10:45 PM
I shared your post on my FB, hope you don’t mind!
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November 18th, 2014 at 10:18 AM
I love this! Sometimes we lose sight of all it took to get us to where we are. Thank you for the reminder.
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November 18th, 2014 at 11:27 AM
I don’t think that I had really thought about this before…I have seen the pics and have friends who have posted these pics…thank you for the reminder that they are so much more than pictures.
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November 18th, 2014 at 4:22 PM
Thank you for shouting this out! An extra special reminder of those who did not survive after birth.
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November 19th, 2014 at 8:26 PM
Thank you for remembering all premature babies, those who survive and those who don’t, on World Prematurity Day. Thanks for adding this post to the DifferentDream.com Tuesday link share.
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