Ozboy

oops sorry pushed the wrong key and cut myself off!! As I was saying..... HE IS TRULY A MIRACLE!! Again thank you to all the NICU doctors and nurses around the world. You are all incredibly special people, to see such suffering and still everyday, with all your energy continually save all of our babies and with such love too.

Thank you all for your thoughts it has really made me realise exactly how lucky we were/are. Sounds like the chance of survival for a 22wker like ours is quite low and then to not have the MAJOR problems that many have seems like it would be less than 1%! I treasure our little miracle everyday! To the mum that lost your baby at 24-2 I completely understand how you feel as we lost our first also at 24wks. He had started off with a brain bleed and a popped lung. He lived just 17hrs. But our little miracle this time round started off so well, it wasn't til 9 days of age he started to struggle with his lungs. He is doing so well now that he is 7 months old. No more eye problems, off oxygen and reacting with lots of smiles. Even his nurses who cared for him are amazed that he doesn't even look like a preemie and he is so strong. Someone mentioned above that its not till later after NICU that they can have problems. My question is would we notice them yet or are we in for future problems I need to look out for? Thanks again for your posts I really appreciate your insight and views and again it really makes me appreciate our little miracle even more. He is certainly in the minority, I just wish my wife and I had the support network that someone mentioned we needed in NICU.Almost ALL of my family didn't help us and only visited once or twice in 117days. Even now no-one seems to understand what we went through, most of our friends brush it off like its no big deal. And this really upsets me. THIS is mostly why i have appreciated your posts as you have really backed up my feeling that he IS

In that case our baby only had 20 wks and 6 days 'in the womb' because his WAS counted from first day of last period. Do any of you know much about a 'duplex kidney'? Our little miracle has a UTI and they found this on an ultra-sound scan.

I am so sorry that you guys see such suffering. I guess thats why I feel you are truly such unbelievable people. My wife and I lost our first baby, he was born at 24 weeks so yes I do understand what an incredible miracle our 22 weeker is and how gut-wrenching losing a beautiful little baby is. Our baby born this year is now 7 months old(11 weeks corrected) and is doing remarkably well. I completely understand what you mean too by, all they know is pain. Our little one was 'lucky' in the fact he didn't get NEC or an IVH, but he did have a PDA ligation, bowel hernia, emphysema, level 3 stage 3 ROP (sight was saved by laser surgery),contracted groupB strep at 3months in hospital and has chronic lung disease. But after 196 days from birth he has just come off oxygen support. He almost died 4 times..... BUT..... and it's a huge BUT..... he is ok now! I completely understand your view as you would see so many not make it to the one 'miracle ' like ours who did. He is developing like any other 11 week old. All the docs and nurses here are unbelievably surprised with him and as they put it if you look at him now you would not even believe he was prem. In fact a couple of new nurses who saw him a few weeks ago didn't believe he was a 22 weeker!! Not until the docs told them what he went through. Even his head is not out of shape, his nose has no damage at all and is not out of shape one bit even though he was on a ventilator for 76days! It certainly seems he is definitely the exception to the rule and again I COMPLETELY understand your feelings about at what point do you start saving them. Thank you once more for your dedication,love and devotion to all our miracles.

I am the proud father of a miracle baby. Born this year at 22 weeks 6/7 weighing 570g or 1lb 4oz here in adelaide Sth AUSTRALIA. Yes that's right 'down under'. My wife and I lost our first baby at 24 weeks about 5yrs ago. He was born in the same hospital and was even in the same incubator bay, but sadly he only lived for a day. Our boy born this year is home now and doing really well, he is 7months old(11 weeks corrected) and weighs 5kgs. The walls entering the N.I.C.U. here in Adelaide has big framed proffessionally taken photos of the little miracles when they are about 2 and also an inset photo of them at birth(or few days old). The frames each have a plaque telling gestational age and weight and the baby's name. As a parent living the trauma it IS encouraging to walk past them each day and know that MAYBE... just maybe, ours could be one of the success stories like the framed photos and be up on the wall in years to come. I found it incredibly inspiring and encouraging. Good luck with your remodelling. All you guys deserve so much praise. You are all miracle workers. If I was a millionaire I would bring trolleys of money to the N.I.C.U. to thank you all. There is not a word in the english vocabulary that could describe how thankful I am for gifts from God like you all.

Thanks for your reply. But I politely disagree with 22 and 6 not that diff. We were told the chance of survival jumps from 9% at 23wks to about 30% by 24 wks so obviously everyday makes a huge diff. If what you say is was true why does there seem to be a cut-off for resus at 23 weeks in so many hospitals? I understand there has to some boundaries set but in our case our baby defied so many odds because he was actually given a chance. So what I am trying to say even though most wouldn't make it why not at least give them a chance and see how they respond. If starting to seem beyond humane then let them go peacefully. Rather than, from what I have heard, if a 22wker born just place it on mum's chest to go peacefully without even giving it a chance. We are defintely certain of our dates. We only managed 1 shot of Celestone before our baby was born. He even cried 3 times at birth! From what i have read so far he is an absolute miracle, and believe me we will never forget or under-estimate what unbelievable work the docs and nurses did for him and us.

Can anyone help me with what the chance of survival is for the extremely young preemies. I have been told its 9% for a 23+ weeker. Does anyone know what it would be for a baby born before this? I am trying to find out the chance of survival for a 22 week and 6 day baby? I am doing a dvd of our journey for our 22wk 6 day miracle. I have hours of footage and want to produce our story but also want to be accurate with stats. Thank you all for you are all miraculous and awesome human beings to not only save our babies but to do it with such love for and also care for our trauma as parents. Can't speak highly enough of the doctors and nurses here in Sth Australia at the Adelaide woman's and children's hospital.

Thanks All. I am actually the father of the baby mentioned. He was born in Feb this year and was born at 22 weeks and 6 days gestation. There is definitely no doubt about the accuracy of gestation in his case. He had no brain bleed and weighed 570grams or 1lb 4oz. He developed emphysema on both lungs on day 9. The docs gave him 2 days! None thought he would live. But after receiving nitric he started to improve. He had a PDA ligation at 1kg. An inguinal hernia the size of a golf ball which was operated on. He developed level 3 stage 3 ROP and had laser surgery to fix it. He contracted groupB strep at 12 weeks of age and was really sick for a few days, but luckily they caught it early. He has chronic lung disease but after 196 days is now off oxygen. His nasal gastric tube was taken out on day 114 and has been on suck feeds ever since. He now weighs 5kg and is almost 7 months of age. He spent 93 days in N.I.C.U., 70 0dd of these on a ventilator. A total of 117 days in hospital. He even came now before his due date!(only by 4 days). Even some of his nurses who see him now are amazed, because looking at him now you wouldn't believe he was prem. No head distortion, no nose deformities. TRULY A MIRACLE BOY!! He literally fit in the palm of my hand at birth. His eyes have been given the all clear. We are truly blessed to not only have a baby survive at this age but just how healthy he is! If anymore can help with my research with the hospital you are from also that would be REALLY appreciated. Also do you know what the statistic would be for this gestation? What I mean is % chance of survival. I am told the chance of survival at 23 weeks is 9%. YOU ARE ALL MIRACLE WORKERS!! WORDS CAN NOT EVEN BEGIN TO EXPRESS WHAT YOU MEAN TO US!! N.I.C.U. NURSES ARE TRULY GIFTS FROM GOD.

I am trying to do some research on the youngest babies to survive in the N.I.C.U. around the world. In Adelaide Sth. Australia we recently had a baby boy born at 22 weeks and 6 days gestation.He had many of the usual problem associated with being so prem, but apparently is doing really well now. Could you all help me find out the youngest surviving extreme preemies. Obviously patient confidentiality is very important, so basically all I need to know is for example:"a baby born at 22weeks and 4 days, the hospital and perhaps the year of birth." I am really only trying to find out the babies born under 24 weeks. So if you could help by telling me the ones born between 21 weeks(I think only little amelia from america was born this young) and 24 at your hospital, I would be really appreciative of your help. Thank you and keep up the great we work of saving these little miracles.