Atkinson

We have four kids .... Cameron, Renee, Sharon and Belinda. Both Cameron and Sharon were born prematurely and Renee and Sharon just made it into the full term category (3 weeks and 4 week early respectively).

Cameron's pregnancy was full of phonecalls to midwives and doctors' checks due to spotting. Nothing ever came of it until I started to have a heavy bleed at 28weeks. After staying in hospital overnight and nothing abnormal on the ultrasound, the doctors were going to discharge me after lunch. Anyway, I went to the toilet, had a major contraction and was found to be 10cm dilated ... I wasn't going home! Cameron was born 3 and 1/2 hrs later weighing 1110gm (2lb 3). The week we were supposed to take him home he started throwing up constantly. After many tests it was found that he had pyloric stenosis (the bottom stomach valve wasn't opening enough as the muscle surrounding it was too tight). Off to PMH he went for his operation. He still came home 2 weeks before his due date. Cameron kept on throwing up after every breastfeed until he was upright (14mths old) but he is fine now. He is the most social person you could meet and talks non-stop for 12 hrs a day and then sleeps solidly for 12 hrs! Cameron has had a great year at school and is above other intellectually, but is the smallest in class size wise.

Renee was born full term weighing 2620gm (5lb 12). Her pregnany went a lot better than Cameron's although there were a couple of incidents of spotting. After my waters broke naturally at 37wks she was born after a short 2 and 1/2 hr labour. Came home with her a few hrs later as we were in a family birth centre. She has never slept through the night. Talking is something she has had a delay in. No chance to talk with Cameron around! She had her own language but is now rapidly changing over to the 'normal' english language.

Sharon's pregnancy was absolutely perfect ... I had no spotting what-so-ever, put on 12kg's etc. However, at 30 weeks I started to have a sudden urge of 'nesting' and sure enough that night my contractions started. As soon as I got to the hospital (took us 1 hr), my waters broke and she was born 15mins later. She screamed loudly immediately and my husband got to hold her for quite a while as the humidicrib etc wasn't even ready yet! Weighing 1430gms (3lb 3) she had to stay in hospital for 6 weeks to fatten up. She is a real chatterbox like Cameron! Size wise she is not much smaller than FT kids of her age. Development wise she is at a normal level.

Belinda was born at 36 weeks after a 2 hr labor. I had fortnightly internal ultrasounds of the cervix from 28wks onwards as I was high risk of going premature again. When the cervix started to show signs of thinning out at 32wks, I was given a course of steroids (2 injections) to help develop her lungs ... should she come out! Belinda hung in there for another 4wks!! She weighed 2.4kg (5lb 6) and we went home 6 hrs after she was born. She is smothered with kisses and cuddles by her elder siblings. Doing everything she should be doing.
No real reasons were ever given for the premature births except that Cameron had IUGR. Sharon is a mystery! We have had it lucky as they are all healthy and happy kids. The older 3 have learnt limited sign language as they grow up as I used to care for my deaf/blind sister in law. This helped them communicate even before they were able to verbalise their needs. It is also important that they be able to communicate with their aunty. My husband cared for my father who had motor neurone disease. Dad passed away in July 2001. The kids learn that people who are not as able as them are just as normal as they as ... signing and the sight of a wheelchair etc is absolutely normal for our family.

I have included links to my mum(& dad's) home page as they have some interesting things in regards to motor neurone disease and a device that dad has invented so that he could still operate a computer despite being a quadraplegic. My link to my in-laws may interest anyone who is interested in Dexter cattle or Alpha (a Christian course).
Cameron and Renee Cameron and Renee
Feb.2002
Motor neurone disease etc
My mum and dad's home page.

Alpha course and Dexter Cattle

My father-in-laws page.
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