So yesterday was World Prematurity Day and I chose not to post. I have been posting every day this month and will continue to do so until November ends in support of premature babies and their families. But yesterday was a day for me to support Esther and William, preemies of my own.

It was a lovely autumnal day and so we were keen to get outside. After a workout for all at Tumble Tots we headed out into the fallen leaves to have a picnic in the deep dark woods!

We had a wonderful day with a very dear friend and a poorly Baby Tilda.

We took some time to breathe and to celebrate that my 27 weekers are now 28 months.

I hope that these pictures and our story will give promise and hope to other premature parents out there.

My once frail children who were unable to breathe on their own are now known for their running, their climbing and their constant chattering on!

Esther and William were born at 27 weeks and three days. They are classed as being extremely premature. They were very lucky to be quite large for their gestation and had quite respectable birth weights of 2lb 4oz and 2lb 11. The weight helped them in their earliest days. It gave them some strength to fight.

Esther and William were also lucky in that because I had been sick some two weeks before their birth, I had been given steroid injections to speed up the development of their lungs and the steroids had had time to work.
Because of this Esther and William were ventilated for only 6 hours after their birth before being moved to CPAP.

At 27 weeks many babies, inside and outside of their mother’s womb can blink, open and close their eyes. Esther was able to open her eyes from the first but William’s were still fused shut through his first week in the world. You can see a very cute video of him trying top open them here.

Both Esther and William were born with lots of dark hair on their head and all over their bodies. They gradually lost all of this as they progressed towards their due date.

They had no nipples when they were first born and no bum cheeks either!!

Esther and William both had very dark skin or rather I thought it was dark. Actually it was just translucent and what we were seeing were all the blood vessels and muscle underneath.

Esther and William were initially fed through a tube, medicated through a tube and had machinery to help them breathe.

They were given an 85% chance of survival after their birth.

Every day the doctor would tell us how well they were doing but also what a long way they still had to go.

Babies born at 27 weeks can often have lasting problems and disabilities. Some babies born at this gestation go on to have educational or behavioural problems. Many have physical delays.

It is very hard to know of your own child how they are developing compared to their peers.

I look at Esther and William every day and I see two tiny but perfectly healthy toddlers. They are bursting with energy. They do not stop talking or moving. I will be very surprised if they have any kind of delay. I honestly cannot see how it could be, but perhaps it is because I am their mummy?

I know that they are very small for their age but I do know term babies who are smaller than them at this age.

Next month Esther and William will have their final (we hope!) hospital assessment. For two and a half years they have been under hospital out patient care. They see a physio and a neonatal consultant every six months or so for a check up, to show them what they can or can’t do.

The final hospital assessment includes the completion of a Bayley Test. The Bayley Scales assess motor skills, cognitive understanding, sensory and physical development. It is a one to one assessment through play. It can identify any delays in children and predict future learning difficulties. I am going to be really interested to witness the assessment and of course learn the outcome.

Esther and William had a horrible start to their lives but they are making up for it now. They are so sociable and confident, they love talking to people, to toys, to themselves. They thrive on each other’s company and are very affectionate little beings.

I have tried to make up for the limited experiences they had in their early days by taking them out as much as I can now. To classes, to play parks, for fun and for learning. We make the most of every day.

Because always at the back of my mind I am thinking these are days we may never have had and who knows what tomorrow will bring. For anyone.

So yesterday I was focused on premature babies though I was not visible online. I was visible to the premature babies most important to me. Mine.

Yesterday was World Prematurity Awareness Day. Please take a minute today to understand prematurity a little better, how and why it comes about and how it affects the babies and parents concerned. Please think about what you might do to make a difference for those babies who are just born far too soon x

Thank you x