What Happens When you are Born Prematurely?

Unknown preemie in NICU

Myself at age 8

The above photos are of an unidentified preemie in an NICU, and of me at age 8.

I was born at approximately 28 weeks gestation in 1958. I weighed 2 lbs. 3 oz. (1000 grams) and was 12” long. The doctors told my parents I would die. When I didn’t die, they told them I would be blind and brain damaged. However, I survived and I wasn’t blind and didn’t appear to be brain damaged. Everyone thought I was fine. Yes, I was small. Yes, I got sick a lot. But I did well in school and eventually became a doctor. All appeared to be well.

However, I had a lot of challenges that weren’t obvious. I had trouble making friends. I was anxious and shy. I had trouble sleeping. I would suddenly get depressed for no apparent reason. I thought these were personality flaws or something.

I started writing a memoir and in a class a teacher asked me if something had been researched by psychologists. I said I didn’t think so but I would check. When I checked I discovered  a lot of research has been done and some of my difficulties are common in preemies.

I want to share this information with preemies and families of preemies so we can experience understanding and healing. We are survivors and we can adapt and grow. I want to celebrate our resilience as well.

Welcome to my blog. I’ll share more of my story. Feel free to comment and share yours!