CHRISTIE Davis believes in miracles – she only has to look at her first born, Andrew.
The toddler looks tough enough, but he was born at 30 weeks – 10 weeks early – in May 2010 weighing 1475 grams.
He spent his first week in intensive care with machines and medication to help him breathe before he was moved to a special care unit, but Mrs Davis counts herself lucky.
“Some premmies need surgery or their parents can’t touch and hold them for ages,” she said.
“When a baby is born 10 weeks early, that is a lot of weeks of solid growing they have missed out on and they have to do all their growing in a humidicrib. As a parent you can’t go home every night without your baby, without just crying.”
Mrs Davis set up the Miracle Babies Foundation north-east Melbourne support group at the Laurimar Community Activity Centre this year because of the number of young families moving to the area.
“It’s so we [parents] can be surrounded by other people who know what we’re going through and a playgroup for the kids,” she said. Mrs Davis said her son was “slower to develop, to crawl, walk and talk, but prem bubs catch up at about two or three years of age. At the group people learn it’s okay if their child doesn’t meet the milestones like others. . . they will get there.” She said the group met on Mondays and was growing.
