Preemie in Brazil

A question everyone asks is, "Are you going to have the baby in Brazil?" The next question asked is, "Are you scared?" To answer quick I say yes we are having the baby in Rio and yes I am scared.

It's very hard for me to distinguish normal pregnancy fears from ones that I am feeling by having the baby in another country. My field of work before moving here doesn't help the nightmares. I have images of past cuties that I have had the pleasure of taking care of. The fear isn't of having an extreme preemie, it's that if I were to go into labor right now my baby would not live. In the US I wouldn't have this fear. Here are a couple of my preemies.

Josh at 23wks gestational age weighing 245g = 0.5lb

(meaning that Belle currently is 6wks older than this little boy born already. Look at your hand- that's the size of this little one and the diaper he is wearing, which is too big, is the size of a maxi pad)

 Lauren at roughly 29wks she had a twin brother who was just as cute!! She was actually born at 25 wks  with her brother. (This is where Belle would more than likely be at. Those stickers on )

 Ellie somewhere in the 30's and probably 33wks??

You probably can't tell from the photos but the babies in each of the pictures the breathing support decrease with the increase in age. The first photo the infant was on full ventilatory support. Second by CPAP (continuous positive air pressure), which adults who have sleep apnea are sometime prescribed a BiPAP which is only worn at night. The third infant is on nasal cannula which most people are familiar with from tv. 

Anyway, the point of the mini lesson is that in Macae there isn't a NICU. Scare the hell out me, I just want to scream when I think about it. Rio on the other hand does have one. When I tried to open dialogue with my Dr. about NICU concerns she dismissed them telling me I had nothing to worry about. I then reached across the table and slapped her while screaming that I was a NICU RN!!! JUST KIDDING but that was the thought running through my head as I calmly told her what I did. I still don't think she heard a word I said and continues to think I have little to zero knowledge about babies. Sad to say that I probably know more than her in this area.

Of course these worries are completely outrageous because in my unit we only saw the 0.01% of the births in all of the US. The worst of the worst. I could tell you stories that would may you vomit and then pass out. I keep reminding myself that while premature birth does happen it doesn't happen to everyone. 

I just had to get that fear off of my chest. Now I can move forward and continue my healthy pregnancy. I really have to say that I have a whole new respect for those mothers and fathers of NICU babies. I honestly don't know how they do it.

Tchau,

Sara