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Association “I help to grow” – one of 24 kindness initiatives sponsored by the 15-minute portal project throughout 2021 “I was good this year”.
The association provides psychosocial assistance, emotional support and organizes mutual assistance groups for families in crisis, the birth of a premature baby, in cases of disability or loss of the baby. Bring families into the community, organize vital projects.
One crash after another
In the 33rd week of pregnancy, Jurgita went to see her gynecologist for a scheduled visit. The latter asked, maybe she wanted to do an ultrasound. True, for the money, because for free this studio did not belong to Jurgita.
“I decided to do it, to check if everything was alright. During the study, the doctor discovered that the child was underweight, which means that he had stopped growing. They immediately sent me to the Klaipeda hospital and from there they told me to go to Kaunas .
I remember that I did not sleep all night and in the morning I asked my husband to take me. The doctors didn’t tell me to leave right away, but I couldn’t have endured another sleepless night. I don’t know how many tears I cried those days.
I suffered another scare in the hospital. As there were no places, they took me to the living room with another woman. The next day, he was diagnosed with COVID-19. My PCR test was negative. Therefore, special drugs were used to mature the child’s lungs, and they immediately began to promote childbirth. However, during childbirth, the child’s heart tones began to decrease. Suddenly in 5-10 minutes. I was ready for the cesarean section. Stress, tears again … Everything was very fast, I felt that I had taken the baby from me, but I didn’t hear him cry, so I started screaming if he was alive ”, recalled the interlocutor.
Photo from personal album / Oak
The born baby weighed only 1174g and was about 40cm tall. He was immediately transferred to the intensive care unit, but his state of health was evaluated in light of the situation, not bad, between 6 and 8 points.
After a month of anxiety, a miracle
Jurgita still doesn’t know what happened, why her baby stopped growing. However, it was clear to the doctors that she could not stay longer in the womb.
“During the cesarean section, I heard the doctors say that my uterus was wrinkled. I have heard that a wrinkled uterus often occurs in women who have had COVID-19. I don’t know if I’m sick, but maybe I was sick with no symptoms. After all, I slept in the room with the patient all night, we communicated without masks and very closely, I helped her fill out the documents, I took her phone in her hands, but I did not catch it ”, the woman thought.
However, she had to quarantine her ward for 10 days, for which she was separated from her son. The only consolation was the kindness of the nurses caring for the babies: they sent his mother pictures of the baby and discussed it.
“When I finally saw him, there was a shock, so small that it even scared me. At first he did not eat alone, he fed through a tube. I got used to taking milk from the bottle, but it seemed that I would never learn: I could only swallow few milliliters. I printed my milk as much as I could because I know how the child needs it. That is why I experienced that he did not eat, but I did not cook, how much did he eat, how much.
The other mother I slept with ate the child for an hour, so there were short intervals between meals and the doctors scolded her. And one day a miracle happened! He ate 44 ml. I used to scream in pain, wait every morning to find out how much I had won, and this time I cried with happiness. After a few days, he already ate himself, ”said Jurgita.
Photo from personal album / Oak
Currently, its oak weighs more than 4 kg. The child laughs, smiles, talks, laughs, he already knows how to turn around. No premature eye damage has been identified either, at least not yet.
Today, Jurgita recalls the difficulties she experienced with a smile, but at a time when she could only communicate with her loved ones with the help of technology, she felt lonely, sad, and scared.
“Sometimes that support was very necessary, because you talk to your loved ones, you get angry and you turn around alone. Sometimes I just prayed that everything was fine so that the baby had gained at least a few grams in the morning.
Women who care for mothers like me helped a lot; They asked me how I was, maybe I needed it. All of our clothes were bought bigger and we needed all the little ones. I had nothing, ordering at that time was also impossible, no one would bring it. The volunteers collected small clothes for me and we also received other very nice gifts. I am very grateful to them, “said the woman.
The volunteer gave birth at the 25th week of pregnancy.
Mothers like Jurgita are cared for by the association “I help to grow” – one of the portals this year 15 minutes under the auspices of public organizations. Last year his initiative was born, the first online consultation platform in the country for families of premature babies. The project is implemented only with the support of people and companies of good will. The organization thanks the donation portal aukok.lt, which has entrusted the project and all those who provide support for the maintenance of the line and the training of volunteers.
Greta Borusienė, one of the volunteers from the Premature Helpline, gave birth to her daughter in the 25th week of pregnancy.
We never stopped believing him, despite the fact that we had to shed many tears and hear painful and serious diagnoses.
“Our daughter Athens was born 15 weeks earlier. The news that we would have to give birth so early was like a thunderstorm coming from a clear sky. We were not prepared physically or morally. However, having come into this world, it has brought so many new winds and so much knowledge!
We never stopped believing in it, we did not allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by bad thoughts, although we had to shed many tears and hear painful and serious diagnoses in the intensive care unit. So today I have a great desire to inspire other families, who are currently going through a difficult time, not to give up. I want to comfort you and tell you that everything must be fine. You just have to believe in your son.
So when I heard that the Premature Helpline project had come up, I didn’t hesitate to want to be a parent volunteer. For me, the establishment and operation of this line is significant and necessary.
Usually when a child is born, joy and a feeling of wonder visit him, and the birth of a premature baby is marked by feelings such as anxiety, fear, uncertainty. Sometimes it looks so bad that it can’t get any worse. This is when families need more support from outside. I think that having someone to talk to, writing a message to the mothers in the same way and receiving a response from them, becomes a little calmer and easier ”, Greta is convinced.
According to her, there is a lack of communication between families who have experienced similar experiences in Lithuania, and families of premature babies are very eager to hear stories of similar experiences. Give hope and faith that anything is possible. “I think I would have written to that helpline myself if it had been when I gave birth,” she said.
According to her, families turn to the Premature Helpline for various reasons. Usually when they face certain difficulties, and sometimes they even appreciate the help provided.
“I still remember how my mother, who gave birth to twins a day ago, asked me to tell me my success story. I perfectly understood her situation and condition, because I myself experienced it a year and a half ago. She, like me then , I needed happy stories and at least a little inspiration for everything to turn out well … For miracles to take place in the intensive care unit, during which the impossible becomes possible, ”said Greta.
Contribute to the helpline!
According to Inga Laukytė-Budrienė, director of the association “Padedu augti”, the “Helpline for the defenseless” has been in operation for 10 months. During this period, volunteer maternal volunteers and family physicians provided 234 free consultations to families of premature babies.
She, like me back then, needed happy stories and even a little inspiration for everything to turn out well.
This counseling is given at the risk of preterm labor, premature delivery, or going home from the hospital with the baby. These include emotional support, responses to family concerns such as neonatal illnesses, hospital procedures, and further child development. Volunteer mothers also share their stories, experiences, recommend specialists if necessary, contacts from medical institutions records. Up to two volunteer family doctors consult online about the baby’s health problems.
“Our helpline can be called 24 hours a day in case of an emergency, but we have received few such calls, only 4-5 during this time. This shows that we are on the right track in creating a platform for consult online www.padeduaugti.lt. For families, writing is more daring, more convenient and the service is easily accessible. A box appears on the website where you can communicate directly with your mother’s volunteer, “said the interviewee .
Earlier this year, the helpline expanded its activities by organizing free educational training. online seminars that bring together hundreds of families. Specialists in their fields spoke for free about baby physical therapy, early rehabilitation, occupational therapy for premature babies, emergency care for a child with a fever, and baby sleep.
The association is not funded by the state and does not receive a fixed income, so there is a great need for support for the operation of the helpline. Therefore, people of good will until May 3. they are invited to dedicate their 1.2 percent. GPM for the organization “Helping to grow”.
More information here.
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