Proud Preemie Parent since 2011

March 10th, 2013 is a day we celebrate! It's a day of reflection & celebration for all parents of preemies!

I won't tell you that being a parent of a premature baby is easy, is always fun or that it was even something I considered when we started talking about starting our family.  The one thing I can tell you is that being a parent of THREE premature babies has changed us forever and it has been a blessing!

When we learned that we were expecting triplets, that was a huge shock.  Never in our wildest dreams did we expect to have 3 babies all at once.  As soon as we learned this news we were thrust into a deep ocean of unknown.  Doctors told us early on that we would be lucky to come away with just one baby.  They told us it would be risky to carry all three babies.  With our religious background and deep commitment to preserving life from conception, we acknowledged the risks and pushed forward.  At our 17 week appointment and ultrasound we were told that it was unlikely that Baby C was going to survive. Due to her size at the time compared to her brother and sister she was just not strong enough.  We pushed on and prayed on! 

On May 16th 2011 the doctor came in and talked to us and shared that he wanted me to try to make it a few more weeks to give the babies a better chance at survival.  Not more than a few minutes later the trio had different plans! I felt a gush of fluid and yelled for Phil to get the doctor right away. Sure enough the doctor felt a foot and told us it was time. 28 weeks and 2 days into our pregnancy, we were thrust into being parents of preemies.

On the morning of May 16th, 2011 my head was filled with emotions of fear, doubt, anxiety, grief and pain but under it all I felt something else that was stronger than all of these. I felt HOPE!

As hours turned to days, days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months in the NICU I was filled with more emotion.  I felt more fear, more anxiety, more grief and more doubt, but stronger still I felt peace, hope, love, and joy. As we continued our journey with our 3 precious babies who had defied all odds and survived, we learned to cherish, appreciate and capture each moment, never letting any memory escape.

As we reflect today, nearly 2 years later, on becoming parents of THREE premature babies, we are thankful.  We are thankful that we chose to believe in our trio. We are thankful that we have our trio in our lives who teach us so much about courage, perseverance and love beyond measure. We are grateful for those who have prayed us through the journey thus far and continue to pray for us. We are thankful for those whom we have met along the way who have been a strength for us.