Why Newborn Health is Important to Me?
November 9, 2000: My oldest son was
born. I had no issues with labor and delivery since I was induced. I was still
groggy and partially blind (since I was not wearing my glasses) when I was
brought into my room for the next two days. Within minutes (it felt like
minutes), my mother calls me and says my grandma had died. She didn’t say when,
so I thought for years, my son was born and my grandma died on the same day.
When in reality, my grandma died the day before.
Within minutes after my mother
called, my ex walked into the room and said Brad almost died on the table.
Since he was born late, he had some of the placenta and other yucky stuff
caught in his throat. He survived. When they brought my baby into the room, my
glasses were still not on. I thought they brought me the wrong baby. Brad had
jaundice and was white as snow. Brad was also small. 5 lbs 15 oz. very tiny.
Even the premmie clothes did not fit him. We had to pack his car seat with
extra blankets and pillows to support his frame.
Later on, he was diagnosed with
Autism and ADHD. I had a good job and he received prenatal care throughout the
entire pregnancy. Even though my former
husband and I was working, we made too much money to get basic services. We was
middle class broke. My insurance only paid for 1 session of speech and nothing
else. They did not cover the services needed to get him treatment. Brad did not
get services until he was five or six years old.
Fast forward to 2011. I found out I
was pregnant again. I applied for Medicaid and it took 3 months to get
approval. My youngest did not get prenatal care until the very end. I was
calling for emergency Medicaid since I was over 30 and I already had one child
with special needs. I had read reports that Kalen would have a high risk of
having Autism because his brother has it.
Kalen was a healthy baby. He was
born with 12 fingers. He also had a strange birthmark, around his heart. Looked
like a black hole, with splatters surrounding it. Kalen was also underweight until he turned two
years old. He has a high risk of being short.
Kalen was diagnosed last year with
a global developmental disorder. He was delayed in walking, talking, and fine
motor skills. He also has an undetermined heart condition.
By this time, both kids have
Medicaid. I found out about early intervention for Kalen a few months before he
turned one. I was going to make sure WIC enrolled him in their early
intervention program. He is currently receiving early childhood intervention.
He also received physical therapy, but he graduated at 29 months, because he
started walking. When Kalen turns 3, he can start preschool for developmental
disabilities.
Both of my kids plus two
miscarriages are why newborn health is important to me. I support prenatal care
and early intervention efforts.
Save the Children Campaign
Social Good Moms (Global Team of 200) is raising awareness
about newborn health. Save
the Children works in over 120 countries. According to a recent report,
available on the website:
- 2 million newborn babies could be saved each year if we ended preventable newborn mortality.
- 1 million babies, who did not survive their first day in 2012.
- 2.9 million babies, who died within 28 days of birth in 2012. The number is four times higher in Africa than in Europe.
- 6.6 million children died from preventable causes before their 6th birthday in 2012. 18,000 children died daily.
- 1.2 million stillbirths in 2012.
The number of children, who died before age 5 has decreased
since 1990, plenty of work needs to be done to prevent additional deaths. Some
ideas include:
- Immunization
- Family Planning
- Treatment of illness
- An increase on ob/gyns, midwives, and other medical personnel.
- Medical care for families, who can not afford to pay out of pocket.
Please check out Save The Children’s website. If possible, please make a
donation to the charity. You also can sponsor a child. Finally, you can
volunteer and/or advocate for our children.
Stacie D. Wyatt
