Airlie Fae our precious premmie girl

As I write this article one year ago our lives changed forever. I went to have my glucose test and was admitted to the local hospital on the 3rd of Jan 2006. I had no idea what was in store for me and what was about to happen. On the 6.1.06 my baby girl was born due to PE and HELLPS. I met her 2days later and she was named Airlie Fae. Airlie weighed 861grams/1lb 14ozs, she was 35.5cm long and head circumference was 25.3cm. When Miss Airlie Fae was born I had no idea about what happened inside a NICU. Inside those walls miracles happen, battles are fought and some are lost. I had no idea which we were going to fall into? Those times in the NICU are hard to put into words. The beeping and the constant worry gave me a really tight chest and I don’t think you ever forget those noises. You were on tender hooks and never knew from hour to hour what was going to happen. When she was 3days old I got to hold her and it was pure bliss and agony at the same time. I cried tears of joy for being able to hold her and tears of anger and terror at why us? To deal with the fact that I felt responsible for her being there was hard to deal with too. I just had to learn to breath and get on with it. My baby needed me and all I could do was try to understand what was happening to her and help so I read. We are forever in these doctors/nurses dept and will always remember the special people who saved Airlie’s life.Airlie spent 2months in hospital and have various issues with feeding, pda, lungs and hernia but all in all we were very lucky. Airlie came home at 35weeks gestation 5weeks befor he due date weighing 3pound 8ounzes. Until the end of August she was trouble free then she contracted bronchitis and was RSV+. Airlie also was found to have hemoglobin of only 42 so a blood transfusion was ordered too. After a good does of iron for a few months Airlie was back to her chirpy self. What a year it has been for us and so many of our great friends we have met along the way. We have made some amazing friendships during our journey and these people shared more with us then a lot of people we have know all our lives. Airlie is celebrating her 1st birthday on the 6.1.07 and we are extremely proud of her. Airlie is now crawling, pulling herself up and trying to move along furniture. At a recent pead check up Airlie was 6.7kg, 65cm long and her head circumference was 44cm. He was very impressed with her progress and said she was doing all an 8-9month old term baby was doing and more then some 11-12month old term babies too.

This article will be published in the AAPEC Newletter January 2007 www.aapec.org.au