"He was born early to save my life" is the moving story of a mother and her premature baby
Although science and its progress continue to benefit the world of medicine, even today, one baby out of ten is born prematurely.
Being born prematurely means so many things. The birth of a baby who comes into the world prematurely speaks of struggle, anguish, but also of hopes, progress, and admiration.
Today's story speaks of a little premature baby who, perhaps, was truly in a hurry to be born, and who came into the world with a very special mission!
Namely, to save his mother, Cris, who was saddened and depressed by her husband's untimely death.
via Wikipedia
Little Andres still had 11 weeks to go before coming into the world, but perhaps he was in a hurry to be born!
Therefore, after only 29 weeks of gestation, Andrès came into the world, weighing only 2.87 lb (1.3 kg). The child was immediately hospitalized in neonatal intensive care, where for about one month he fought like a true warrior to stay alive.
The fact of the matter is that Andrès was born prematurely 12 years ago in a hospital in Madrid and, at the time, although both he and his mother Cris, who was 24 years old at the time, received excellent treatment, his father's premature death weighed heavily on his mother's spirit and mental health.
"In the hospital, they told me that my milk was liquid gold for my premature baby, I nursed him every 3 hours, which was the time they let me stay with him and then they gave him artificial milk for premature babies to supplement his diet," Cris explained.
After 31 long days in the hospital, Andrés was discharged. "The day I brought him home I was tremendously happy," his mother said, "I wasn't afraid, because I needed to be with my son."
Finally, mom and son could be together without having to respect the strict time schedules of the hospital maternity ward.
"I remember that our neonatologist got very emotional when he said goodbye to us. He took my son in his arms and said: 'Andres, how brave and how great you are. Now go home with mom and be happy for life. We will always remember you.' "
Cris remembers that phase of her life with a mixture of emotion and sadness. Both she and her little Andrès were great fighters and both managed to support and encourage each other.
"It is clear that my son came into the world to save my life. I do not know what would have happened to me if he had not been born at that moment", recalls Cris.
Twelve years have passed since that life-changing episode and today Andres is a beautiful, healthy, and intelligent young boy.
During those years, Cris has become the mother of two other children and is also a lactation consultant aka breastfeeding counselor, as she knows firsthand, the importance and benefits of skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding, particularly in premature babies.
Every year, on November 17 (World Prematurity Day), Cris has words of hope and encouragement for all those families who are undergoing the distressing experience of having a premature baby: "They are stronger than we can even imagine". Therefore, strength and courage to you all!
