Premature births aren’t a subject that often comes up in conversations about pregnancy and parenthood. But for parents, and especially mothers of premature babies (also known as preemies), the experience is often emotionally distressing.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), premature birth is defined as one that happens before the 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed. There are also sub-categories of preterm birth, based on gestational age: extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks), very preterm (28 to 32 weeks), and moderate to late preterm (32 to 37 weeks).
In former radio DJ and actress Jamie Yeo‘s case, both her children Alysia, aged 12, and Luke, four, were born prematurely. And the trauma, especially following Alysia’s birth, has followed her for over a decade. In a recent Instagram post, she wrote “12 years later, I’m finally able to mark World Prematurity Day. Took me a while because Aly’s birth at 30 weeks was traumatic and all I’ve ever wanted to do is just forget about it. Until now. Time has softened the trauma and the fact that Aly is now a big, tall, strong (and extremely sassy) 12 yr old has healed the wounds.”
The onslaught of info online just perpetuated my fears and worries. Being a first-time mother, I was stressed out and had no idea what to do. Thankfully, the doctors and nurses at Gleneagles were really experienced.”
Jamie Yeo
The 45-year-old, who recently relocated to England with her British risk adviser husband Rupert and the kids, tells The Weekly more about the struggles she faced following her preterm births, how she coped, and how the family is doing now in the UK.