In our October edition of our Preemie Family newsletter we learned about Andie Daniel aka Andie, a 25-weeker who was 1 lb. 11 oz. at birth and spent 84 days in the NICU.

Read more in an update by her mother, Kasey.

by Kasey Mathews, Andie’s Mother:

Our son, Tucker was born 14 years ago on his due date weighing an even eight pounds. Nothing prepared us for his sister’s unexpected premature arrival two years later. She was born on the first day of my 25th week, weighing a mere 1 pound 11 ounces. 84 days in the NICU, four major surgeries and 11 years later, Andie is now a thriving 6th grader.

Andie’s birth was my awakening. My transformation from the naïve woman who said to a nurse, “Things like this don’t happen to me,” to a mom who stood up to doctors, discovered life changing alternative therapies, and learned to receive help with grace. I also learned lessons about loneliness and the lingering effects of trauma and the deep internal scars that remain long after the external scars begin to fade. I learned never to lose hope, not to let other’s expectations limit my child’s future and to always look for rainbows after a storm. And I eventually learned to forgive myself when I finally came to understand that all the fear I felt toward my tiny newborn daughter was simply a measure of the enormity of my love.

Kasey Mathews is the author of the preemie:  Lessons in Love, Life and Motherhood.  

Check out the book and read Kasey’s blog here:  http://kaseymathews.com/

Photo Credits: Kasey Mathews

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