World Prematurity Day

I never thought I would have extreme premature twins. I never went to any classes or walked round the NeoNatal baby unit when I was pregnant. That was a world I never gave a thought to, that was until Harry (who was dying anyhow) decided to make an appearance at exactly 25 weeks. The week before we were sunning ourselves in Spain, getting an Easter break in before the boys were to come along in August. Harry weighed 1lb 1oz and Tom came along at a whopping 1lb 7oz. When they were born, that was when I was introduced to the world of Neonatal. They came rushing into the room and worked wonders on Harry and Tom, keeping them alive. Harry spent six and a half months on Neonatal and Tom spent five and a half months. In that time, we got to see the dedication of the nurses on the unit. They counselled us as parents, laughed with us, gave us a hug when we were upset, and sat with our boys during the night when we weren't able to, making sure they felt loved and gave plenty of cuddles when they were upset. The nurses worked bloody hard on our boys numerous times keeping them alive, and the emotional impact on them is huge too. People tend to forget that they are humans and have feelings. I won't name names, but there was a nurse who came in on her day off to take Tom for an operation at another hospital. I will always be in her debt and words cannot describe what I think of that fantastic lady. They became nurses to make a difference to families and sometimes have to put up with a lot from us parents, including emotional tirades when we don't understand what is happening, or unfortunately sometimes when a child is lost. They welcomed us into an unsure world with open arms and became part of the family. Being a mum to twin premature babies has opened my eyes to a fantastic world. Would I prefer to have two normal boys? Yes, I would; I would be lying or stupid to say otherwise. Am I disappointed to be in this world and be a member of the Premature world? No, I'm not. The boys and other children like them have shown me how life should be. It's full of innocence and laughter. It's shown me humility and compassion beyond belief.