World Prematurity Day aims to raise awareness

People around the globe celebrated World Prematurity Day Monday.

The day is meant to raise awareness about premature births. According to March of Dimes, a premature birth is the number one cause of death among newborns, and it’s a leading cause of lasting childhood disabilities.

Michelle Morris, a mother in Colorado Springs, had to face both outcomes five years ago. She was pregnant with twins, and she went into labor at 23 weeks, about 17 weeks early.

The first baby, Keeric, was born on Feb. 28 2009. He weighed 1 lb. 1 oz. He died days later.

On March 5, Morris went into labor again. She gave birth to Rillen. He weighed 1 lb. 4 oz. Rillen is now five years old.

“I believe that his brother lives on in him to help him with his fight,” Morris said.

Rillen spent the first five months of his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

“Having to stare at him through a thick piece of glass for a month was absolute heartache, knowing that one son was already gone,” Morris said. “so the moment I finally got to hold him, he was about a month old, when I first got to hold him for the first time, and it’s just one of those experiences I don’t know that you can put into words.”

Rillen has had medical issues, but Morris said he has made big improvements in the past year.

Morris said she wants others to know that prematurity is more prevalent than others realize, but that thanks to technology and medical research, the viability age has gotten lower. She said getting pregnant is a big commitment and should be treated as so.

And she has some advice for other parents.

“You have to live life, if your child is in the NICU, live life,” she said. “Go celebrate those memories. Take pictures.”