Greenley Family Story
“It was horrible”: Low access to maternity care, preterm birth, and caring for a child with a lifelong disability—is this the new norm in America?
Emma Lee and Michael Greenley’s daughter, Lois, was born preterm at 24 weeks.
At 23 weeks and five days, Emma Lee went to the doctor due to problems she was experiencing. “They immediately told me to get dressed and go to the hospital because my cervix was open,” she says.
The Greeley's live in an area with low access to maternity healthcare services. So, they were sent to Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia—nearly an hour away—because the NICU in the hospital closest to them isn’t equipped to care for preterm babies born under 28 weeks.
“When I went there, I wasn't in labor, I wasn't having contractions, but they confirmed my cervix was open,” Emma Lee says. “We were looking at a cerclage since I was so early to sew the cervix back up, and just be on bedrest the rest of the time. But to do that they have to make sure that you don't have any bacteria. So, they did an amniocentesis, and the results came back positive.”
She thought that worst case scenario, she’d be in the hospital for four and a half months until the due date. But instead, she went into labor.
Lois spent five months in the NICU, nearly a month past her due date. Emma Lee and Michael went to visit her every day—an hour drive each way. Sometimes Emma Lee would go twice a day because she was pumping and wanted to make sure Lois had enough breast milk. Their other two kids, Patrick and Gus, weren't allowed in the hospital due to COVID.
Lois was finally able to go home without oxygen or a feeding tube. Today, she’s two and a half years old, and as far as her parents know, she has no lifelong complications.
Not being close to proper care is just another obstacle to an already bad situation. Each year in the U.S., 1 in 10 babies is born preterm, and those who survive often face a lifetime of disability. More research is needed to determine the causes and preventions of preterm birth… “And I know that's exactly what you guys do and that's why I've been a benefactor of March of Dimes,” Emma Lee adds. “I definitely want to help any way I can.”
If you've experienced a NICU stay you aren't alone.
For more information on the NICU please visit, https://www.marchofdimes.org/find-sup...
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