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Preemie Books
The
Preemie Parents Companion: The Essential Guide to Caring for Your Premature Baby
in the Hospital, at Home, and Through the First Years by Susan L Madden M.S,
William Sears MD, Jane E Stewart MD
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Samuel was born at 28 weeks' gestation. The following article was written by his father Terry Tremethick when Samuel was six weeks old. Dad's Misconception I found out at the 17 week ultra sound that our baby was a boy. I was so excited! A little boy to kick the football with, play on the computer and teach manly things. Visions of bouncing babies crawling and laughing sprung into my mind. I had expectations. (And still do.) We all have certain images that automatically become pictures in our mind when certain words are used. Think about the word baby. What comes to your mind? Probably cute, fat and cuddly little creatures that bring endless joy. (You know what I mean!) Well, throw all that out if you are unfortunate enough to have a child born three months early! When Samuel was born at 28 weeks' I was shocked. I could not believe my eyes. I felt intense grief. How was he alive? His head was huge and his body was very, very small, frail and skinny. You could see every rib bone. He had no butt at all. Hardly a microgram of fat on him. All emotions came at once! I will admit that joy was the very least of these as every preconception of child birth was shattered! Pain became my constant companion that day. (And still is.) What was next? What would happen to him? How would he develop? Would he eventually look normal? I am being very honest here. I have spoken to many parents of full term babies who could not for the life of them comprehend me. Those of you in the same boat know only too well. Some asked, "When can I see him?" Uhhh well he cannot breathe on his own yet. "When can I hold him?" Ummm, after I do! "When is he coming home? Didn't I say he was THREE MONTHS EARLY? Hello! Are you listening? My boy weighs less than one kilo (2.5 pounds). He has got a long way to go. I tell you it is a long wait. Preconceptions are hard to overcome aren't they? Mine have been almost destroyed. Samuel has an IV (intravenous) line in every limb, and sometimes in his head. He has a tube down his throat through his nose into his lungs where a machine forces air and oxygen (ventilator) to tell him when to breathe. That is just a few things. There is more stuff than baby! He is now 34 weeks old (six weeks outside the womb). He was not expected to live once and was close to death another time. He has had more infections that I have had in my whole life! He still can not breath on his own. His lungs have been full of water and blood and his body has been puffed up like a balloon. He swallowed so much air (when he actually did breathe without a ventilator) that his bowels and stomach swelled up so much they nearly burst and he almost died. That is just a quick summary. I write these words to share my heart and comfort those of you in the same horrible circumstance. Don't get me wrong, I still believe the best and see that beautiful little boy playing with dogs in the back yard, but it's is hard. In fact tears flow right now. Terry
Samuel is now four-years-old and is a quadriplegic. His parent's Terry and Karla love him dearly and are committed to helping Samuel have the best life possible. To read Samuel's birth story and updates please visit their Web site at http://wwwozemail.com.au/~karlat. About Terry Tremethick Terry Tremethick, his wife Karla and two sons, Samuel and Aidan live in Australia. Professionally, Terry is a Network Administrator. He enjoys spending time with his family, swimming, the Internet and educating other parents of premature infants through his writing. You can read his story, Feelings of a Preemie Parent in the book Living Miracles: Stories of Hope from Parents of Premature Babies. |
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Update on Samuel