• About Me
  • Privacy Policy and Disclosure Policy

Shann Eva's Blog

A peek into my messy life with 3 boys

  • Home
    • My Delivery Story
    • Twin Pregnancy
  • Work with Me!
  • Money-Saving Links
  • Blog
    • Shann’s Favorites
    • Shopping
    • Birthdays
    • Health
    • Micro Preemie Mondays
  • Submit Your Story
    • Share an Update
  • Twin pregnancy
You are here: Home / Blog / 24 weeks: Justin’s Story

24 weeks: Justin’s Story

November 5, 2018 By Shann 4 Comments

24 Weeks

24 weeks is the gestation that most doctors tell you is the age of viability. The age where they will try to save your baby if it is born.

It is terrifying.

I remember sitting in my hospital bed, a few days past viability and listening to the statistics being thrown at me. The quality of life predicted, the complications that would almost surely arise, and the struggles that babies born this early must fight through.

The neonatologist was so serious and clinical as he told me the future my babies could have if they were born that early.

However, no matter what they say, and what they know, they never can really predict what a baby can do. They don’t know how strong a premature baby is, or how hard they will fight to survive and thrive.

So, today, you will meet a baby that fought against all those facts and figures to write his own journey.

24 weeks #24weeks #prematurebirth #preemie #NICU #24weeksgestation

Please meet Justin, as told by his mom, Holli.

Justin

24 weeks

1.Tell us about your baby.

Justin was born at 24 weeks exactly on October 6, 2014, weighing 1 pound 7 oz and 11 inches long. My fiancé (now husband) and I were supposed to get married on October 25, but because Justin was not doing well due to an infection, we had to postpone our wedding until November 17 (ironically World Prematurity Day!)

2. How long was your NICU stay? What was the hardest part?

Our NICU stay was 139 days. Since he was born in October, we spent his first Halloween, thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year and Valentine’s Day in the hospital.
I joked with one of his primary nurse’s that he dragged out his stay to include Valentines Day because he had a crush on her.
She always seemed to have him on the really rough nights, and he made her work so hard!

Since I am a pediatric nurse, one of the hardest parts was understanding what was being discussed and noticing things other parents would not. I also saw first hand what the risks and struggles that could come with being so premature.

We lived nearly two hours away from the NICU. We never wanted Justin to be alone for a whole day, so once I went back to work, we alternated and made sure one of us was there daily.

Justin had to have a PDA ligation, laser eye surgery, and inguinal hernia repair while in the NICU.

24 weeks

3.Do you know what caused your premature birth?

We aren’t exactly sure what caused Justin’s premature birth. I complained of stomach pain and didn’t feel quite right the weekend before he was born.

Monday morning, I had bleeding when I woke up, went to the hospital, started on magnesium, and transferred to a hospital out-of-state. I was told I was going for observation for 48 hours, but had Justin via emergency c-section that night. I hemorrhaged after and wasn’t able to see Justin for 2 days.

Eventually, I learned I had a partial placental abruption, my water broke, and had an infection.

Justin was my first, and after everything that happened was going to be our only, but we were surprised! His brother, Jacob, was born March 12, 2018 via scheduled c-section at 37 weeks. I was followed very closely by my OB and MFM during the pregnancy and had weekly Makena shots, but made it to 37 weeks!

24 weeks

4.How are you and your baby doing now?

Today, Justin loves life and his baby brother. He has asthma and is very near-sighted, otherwise you would never know he was born so early and had a rough start.
When he came home he had an apnea monitor, had early intervention (PT, speech and a teacher), and many appointments.  He graduated from therapies before his third birthday.
Today, he attends a regular nursery school and takes swimming lessons.  He is incredibly happy, silly, loving, and everyone is his friend.  This journey taught me not to take anything for granted and appreciate every milestone and moment we have together as a family.
24 weeks

5. What advice would you give to a new preemie or NICU family?

My advice – ask every question you have, take the time your baby is in the NICU to learn everything you can about your baby.
But, take time for yourself also.
Have a date night when you can, and celebrate every milestone – no matter how small.
Get in touch with other families in the NICU because they will understand more than anyone, and give you someone to talk to about both the NICU and “normal” every day things.  Really enjoy the good days – they will get you through the rough ones. The rough ones will come – it’s truly a roller-coaster. Those days will be fewer and eventually a distant memory with time.
24
Thank you so much to Hollie for sharing her beautiful family, and amazing Justin. Please leave any supportive comments or questions below.

Filed Under: Blog, Micro Preemie Mondays Tagged With: 24 weeks, asthma, early intervention, emergency c-section, magnesium, Makena shots, mfm, micro preemie, micro preemie monday, near-sighted, NICU, OB, PDA Ligation, placental abruption, preemie, pregnancy, premature birth, pt, ROP surgery, speech, therapy, vision, wedding, world prematurity day

Comments

  1. Akaleistar says

    November 5, 2018 at 1:00 pm

    What an amazing story!

    Reply
  2. Jillian Anfuso says

    November 5, 2018 at 2:09 pm

    Beautiful my NICU neighbor. While I would never want to to go through that again, it was comforting having someone like you to share it with. So happy to know that Justin is thriving. XOXO

    Reply
  3. Beth says

    November 5, 2018 at 3:35 pm

    Such an amazing story and he is the cutest ever with his glasses! And awesome that you were able to have another pregnancy and go to 37 weeks!

    Reply
  4. ShootingStarsMag says

    November 6, 2018 at 12:50 pm

    That’s so wonderful that Justin is doing well these days, and that his brother was born without any complications! I can’t imagine going through all of that again. Thanks for sharing!

    -Lauren

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Meet Shann

Shann Hi! I'm a mom, writer, and dancer. I love sharing my parenting experiences, my healthy living tips, my money saving ideas, and our travel plans. My passion to help other women inspired this blog. I hope you'll stay a while and come back often.

Need Help Finding Something?

Follow Me

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • Writing as Therapy May 16, 2022
  • COVID: The (Not) Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Guilt August 20, 2021
  • Healthy Lifestyle: Making Baby Steps Back July 27, 2021
  • 2020 Year In Review: The Highlights December 31, 2020
  • Premature Birth Awareness: Helpful Vs. Hurtful November 9, 2020

Facebook

Facebook
MKE Moms Blog
Copyrighted.com Registered & Protected 
M6VU-YLWL-D4JY-XAO4

Copyright © 2023 · Blog Design by Quality Websites On A Budget

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT