Hi there,

I had Placenta Previa and had to deliver my daughter 2 months early. She just wasn't growing. She weighed 2 lbs 13 ozs. The PDA valve in her heart was open but wasn't caught until she went into respiratory failure on day 4 of life. The oscillating ventillator they placed her on to keep her alive caused permanent damage to her lungs and she now has Chronic Lung Disease/ BPD. Medication closed the PDA valve. She also has moderate ASD (5-6 mm). She was anemic and had a few blood transfusions in the hospital. She has an umbillical hernia and acid reflux. She is also on an NG tube. We spent 3 months to the day of her birth in the NICU. We came home on oxygen and meds galore. Today she is 10.5 lbs. She has been off the oxygen for a month! She only gets one NG feeding a day (at 2 am- she is a heavy sleeper and will not wake up to take a bottle)- so we are ALMOST weaned. She is still on quite a few meds but they aren't upping the doses, just letting her outgrow them. The reflux is under control and her umbilical hernia has decreased significantly. It has been a wild ride but they told us it would be from day one. The NICU docs always said, "NEVER TRUST A PREEMIE." But I still can't believe my little butterball was ever that tiny. She really is doing great. Now if I could just get her to smile!! She "sorta" smiles and smiles in her sleep and has laughed ONCE a couple of weeks ago and never since.

Looking forward to meeting other parents that were on the Preemie Ride too.

Hello Kimberly, i had my daughter at 32 weeks via c-section because of my health. She came out with no real big problems to deal with, they had her on oxygen for a few days but other than that she has been great. We were able to take her home at her 35 week mark as long as she had no A's or B's and was eating on her own. We started breastfeeding immediately and at 33 weeks started a bottle with she very much enjoyed. Since being home she has paced the mark of being called a preemie. She is 11 month and weights over 20 Lbs, eats anything she can, has 4 teeth, crawls and walks when she want to. She also has a belly hernia and still has it. I have been told not to worry that it should correct its self but if not they might do surgery around the time she is 4 years, but i don't think of that. Our kids defiantly test us to see how strong we are. I so glad to hear that your daughter is doing well. Please keep me posted on how she is.

Best Wishes,

Nikki