Mr. J was in the NICU at CHEO for the first 10 days of his life. Being separated from your child (he was transferred from our local hospital where I gave birth, to CHEO at 20 hours old) is devastating. I had complications from delivery, so couldn’t even leave and be with him. When pregnant, you imagine the joy of leaving the hospital and arriving home with your newborn. Not having them taken away from you. Even though you KNOW it is for the best and what they need, it has an incredibly negative impact on your life, and your introduction to parenthood. Seeing all the wires and tubes coming from your newborn is shocking. I had seen my niece and nephew (also preemies) when they were in the NICU, but it didn’t prepare me for the sight of my own child like that. Leaving the hospital to go home each night was heartbreaking. It’s been over 10 years since our NICU days, but I still remember what it was like. I am thankful that we had access to such a wonderful facility.
Mr. J was big for a preemie (6lbs 3oz) but most are not such a good size. In 2002, Pampers introduced a preemie diaper for hospitals to use on their #LittlestFighters, but sometimes, even those are too big. In 2016 Pampers partnered with NICU nurses to design and introduce the Pampers Preemie Swaddlers Size P3 diapers for babies as little as 1 lb.
- Hyperbilirubinemia (jaundice)
- Abdominal defects and surgeries
- Severe skin barrier breakdown
- Extremely low birth weight
The
materials used to create this diaper are safe, gentle and fragrance free. The
flat diaper has all around absorbency to provide equal protection in the back
and front, allowing diapering in any position. There is also a wetness shield
to prevent run-off from the flat diaper.
It is estimated
that more than 15 million babies are born prematurely around the globe. That is
a lot of babies. We are so fortunate that we had amazing care for Mr. J when he
was born. He is now a relatively healthy 10 year old boy.
November is
Prematurity Awareness Month, and this year Pampers is partnering up with Graham’s
Foundation to encourage Canadians to share their own #LittlestFighters stories
on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag. For each share, Pampers
will donate $5 (up to $10,000!) to the foundation.