Seven years ago today our tiny baby boy was delivered. He was having severe heart rate decelerations and my doctor was concerned that he would not continue to recover. The decelerations were becoming more frequent as the day progressed and James was getting tired. His best chance for survival was an emergency C-section, and that’s … Continue reading
Tag Archives: viability
The Need for Change
Yesterday, November 30th, was the final day of Prematurity Awareness Month. It was also the day, six years ago, that James was due to be born. But on November 30th six years ago, James was already 120 days old. 17.14 weeks. He had gone from weighing 15 ounces to a whopping five pounds. … Continue reading
Dear NICU Doctor
There is an amazingly hopeful article in the NY Times about the survival of 22 weekers. I can’t begin to describe how I felt as I read that article. There are doctors who agree that viability could begin under 23 weeks. There is hope!! The following letter is sitting in envelopes ready to be mailed, … Continue reading
Quality of Life and Viability, The Debate Continues
Originally posted on 22w6d:
I was getting ready to work on my blog, prepared to write about truly enjoying James’ third birthday without any of the anxiety that has come each year at this time, when I read End of Life, at Birth, an Op-Ed piece that appeared in The New York Times August 5th. The author, April R. Dworetz, is…
Was James Really 22 Weeks 6 Days?
A friend of mine would pose that question whenever we had discussions about preemies and gestational age. She didn’t say it quite that bluntly, but did clearly state that James could have been 23 weeks and 3 or 4 days when he was born. In fact, she thinks it is likely he was 23 weeks and some number of … Continue reading
Quality of Life and Viability, The Debate Continues
I was getting ready to work on my blog, prepared to write about truly enjoying James’ third birthday without any of the anxiety that has come each year at this time, when I read End of Life, at Birth, an Op-Ed piece that appeared in The New York Times August 5th. The author, April R. Dworetz, is a neonatologist and an assistant professor … Continue reading
How Young is Too Young? Pushing the Limits of Viability
How young is too young, and who is it that makes that decision? You are the person I want to talk with. You are the person who needs to meet James. Had the NICU team attending James’ delivery known his correct gestational age, they would have done nothing. The NICU team would not have been … Continue reading