Babies Are Born Prematurely And Baby Health

Babies Are Born Prematurely And Baby Health.
Elise Jackson remembers very unequivocally the light of day her son was born: It was May 8, 2002, and Elijah had arrived 15 weeks before his due date. "My lad sat right in the palm of my hands," Jackson recalled. "He was very, very fragile. It was 25 weeks and one prime into my pregnancy, and he was just 1 pound, 1 ounce". At the time, Elise and her husband, Todd, were told that Elijah's chances for survival were only about 10 percent. But 14 surgeries and blood transfusions later, Elijah has beaten the edge to become the 2015 "National Ambassador" for the March of Dimes.

He and his parents will proceed the territory from their Chicago-area institution this year as the public face of the nonprofit organization, which focuses on pregnancy and pamper health. The story of how far Elijah has come includes the serious health consequences that his too early birth brought. "It's been a roller coaster ride, and a slow, slow process," Elise Jackson explained. "Now he's in teach and he's very friendly and active, so you wouldn't straight away pick him out as the '1-pound baby'.

But he still needs occupational therapy, because you can tell he's a mean bit slower than the normal 12-year-old, and he struggles a little bit with focusing and paying attention. And when he gets animated he has mannerisms, like rocking back and forth or clapping his hands. "He's also asthmatic and very soft-spoken". That terminal characteristic is the result of having had a tracheotomy at the age of 4 months, to pursue serious breathing difficulties, Elise Jackson explained.

During the two years there was a corner in his throat, speaking and swallowing were impossible because a feeding tube was inserted directly into his stomach. "He's a jubilant boy, and was a happy baby, because he didn't know any other way. But he was born really, very sick, and spent the first seven months in the hospital". It was during that opportunity that Elise Jackson got involved with the March of Dimes. "There was a point, at about 2 or 3 months of age, when he needed a medication to alleviate his lungs develop.