Dear Ava

Ava at the Aquarium

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:20:00 +0000

Ava & I managed to spend a nice quiet weekend celebrating my birthday together. My family was away in California it was just the two of us for my birthday morning. We woke up, enjoyed out milk & coffee together when I looked up and noticed the flurries outside our window. Ava was of course excited to see the snow again and I was happy to enjoy a morning flurry as I sipped my warm coffee. About an hour later the sun came out to brighten the rest of the day, something we haven't seen for a few weeks with all of the wet dreary weather we've been having. After my birthday dinner Ava helped me blow out all of the candles on my cake.

On Saturday Frank took us to Jenkinson's Aquarium in Point Pleasant Beach. The Aquarium was the perfect size for a child Ava's age. She loved it and it wasn't overwhelming. Her favorite exhibits were the turtles and the Penguins. Of course she had to bring her plush penguin that Andy and I bought her at the Aquarium in Myrtle Beach this past summer. She wanted her penquin whom she named, Echo, to meet the real penguins at the Aquarium. As Andy was showing her the turtle tank she accidentally dropped her penguin into the water and luckily the "Animal Doctor" as Ava called her was standing right there so she was able to fish the penguin out for Ava.

"Oh no! My penguins allllll wet!" Ava said with concern. "My penguin went for a swim in the ocean and the Animal Doctor saved her," Ava later told me.

That was the biggest excitement of her day at the aquarium. I'm really looking foward to taking her back and maybe we'll even adopt her a little penquin of her own.

a fight worth fighting

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:00:00 +0000

It's prematurity awareness month once again and I find myself organizing my fundraising efforts for next year's March for Babies hosted by the amazing March of Dimes foundation. Talking openly about my family's experience when my daughter was born 5 weeks too soon has introduced me to so many courageous families that have regretfully had to endure similar experiences. The statistic of premature birth still stands with 1 in 8 babies not getting their full 40 weeks.

Of course I will never stop pushing for donations to fund important life-saving research for preemies, but this month I would rather focus on acquiring donations in the form of a much needed signature. For those who don't have the money to donate during such an unstable time in our economy, a simple signature will make a huge impact as we petition for preemies.

By signing the Petition for Preemies you will help to bring more awareness to the public about such a prevalent issue that faces 1,400 families each day. This petition will urge Congress & President-Elect Obama to make the necessary changes this country needs to make the statistic of preterm births decline.
It takes 2 minutes to make an impact on the lives of thousands of babies to come.

Sign the petition here.

And donate if you can: Team: Ava Marie or March of Dimes.

And while you're at it, add the petition badge to your website to help spread awareness!

oatmeal cookies

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:13:00 +0000

We have occupied ourselves baking batch after batch of oatmeal cookies lately. I have found our sugar-free version to be a healthy snack for Ava and she has fallen in love with the idea of baking cookies. Each time we bake them she has to be the one to mix the ingredients in the bowl and doesn't agree when I offer assistance. I imagine she feels like a big helper and is also proud of the fact that she can do it all by herself.

The end result is also a payoff for her as she sees the cookies as a treat and I see them as a healthy helping of her daily grains. I've substituted all of the sugar in the ingredients with Splenda Granulated Sugar and Splenda Brown Sugar. The cookies taste fabulous and I know she won't be feeling the sugar rush later.

Playing in the leaves with Uncle Andy

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 01:16:00 +0000

three piggies and a wolf

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:12:00 +0000

"Once upon a time there was three little pigs. And three mommies. And a big wolf," Ava started.

"And what did the piggies do?" I asked.

"They built a house. And then they went to hide," she answered.

"And then what happened?" I questioned.

"A puff and a puff and a PUFF! AND A BLOW YOUR HOUSE DOWN!" she yelled with such excitement between her giggles. "The little pigs are blowing their houses. And the wolf's house."

I think it's love

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:50:00 +0000

As we pulled up in front of the house late last night Ava asked, "Mommy? Can I go in my bed now?"

"Of course you can, silly," I replied.

"Can I bring Moxy in my bed too?" She asked.

"I think Moxy would love to come in your bed with you and Bunny," I said.

"Moxy and Bunny in my bed with me!" Ava said with anticipation.

*It appears that Moxy is finally done doing her time on the couch. She must be relieved!

A "Mail Delivery"

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:00:00 +0000

Every morning while Ava is watching "My Friends Tigger & Pooh" the mail man usually comes. She see's him through the window as he drops the mail in the mail box and always exclaims, "Mommy! That's the mail man! Not Grandpa!" Grandpa comes home for lunch everyday but she remembers that the mail man always arrives first so she's sure to tell me when he's there. I suppose since it is a part of her morning routine and she knows to expect him it excites her. Of course, toddlers crave routine in their lives.

This morning was a little different, however. We broke our routine with a tea party downstairs in the family room. As I noticed the mail main coming up the walk I went to retrieve the mail as I was expecting two packages. But today, there was a large envelope just for Ava. As I told her that she recieved mail her eyes lit up with such excitement.

"For me, Mommy?!" she exclaimed.

"Just for you, Ava," I replied. "A Halloween treat fom Aunt Cindy and Uncle David"

"From Aunt Sydney and Uncle David?!" She excitedly asked. (She's confusing Aunt Cindy with our cat, Sydney)

Ava's Great Aunt Cindy & Uncle David sent her a halloween treat and she wouldn't put it down all morning. She received Halloween Dora stickers, one of her absolute favorite things to play with lately and a halloween coloring book that she is already scribling in. Everywhere she went this morning she carried her card with her and made sure to let everyone know that it was her "mail delivery," and that she recieved a letter. I could tell that it made her feel important.

Aunt Cindy & Uncle Dave sure are good at figuring out the key to her heart. The stickers were so right on. For the past 3 weeks we have gone through sheet after sheet of stickers as Ava likes to wear a few each day and shares them with mommy. I show up to work sometimes and even find some on my clothes that I was completely unaware were there. And everytime we head to the craft store we aren't allowed to leave without stopping by the sticker isle for ava to pick out new stickers.

*Thanks for thinking of Ava this Halloween Uncle Dave & Aunt Cindy!

As the snow fell on the roof...

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:59:00 +0000

Ava and I stayed in our pajamas all morning and enjoyed a tea party on this very unusual day. Unusual, because it is still October, still autumn, and there is snow falling everywhere!

She loved watching the snow as it fell from the sky and I could see the excitement in her eyes as she squealed with delight. She sat in the window for an hour enjoying every last snowflake that fell from the gray sky above.

in black & white

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:46:00 +0000

Some of my favorite photos I take of Ava are the moments I capture as I am photographing her wearing my headbands for my Etsy store. I take so many pictures of her that I have officially ruined any future photo ops as she intentionally looks away from the camera when she sees the camera lens pointed at her. This actually works for the pictures I need for PlumDaisy, but as for capturing her childhood with a direct smile at the camera? Not so much.

Even though she is looking away, I love how true her expressions are in the candid photos I take of her for my website. She is usually distracted with play which allows her true personality to translate into the picture. And on a nice cool day back in early August while Ava was busy playing in her radio flyer wagon I snuck some pictures of her which have lately become my favorite. As much as I love topping her off with a large Hair Blooms headband, I left her hair alone without her trademark "piggies" and I really love how natural the pictures came out.

Songs of Moxy

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:03:00 +0000

On a recent day trip to New Hope, PA, Ava found a new lovey that I absolutely had to purchse for her when I saw it. As she glanced toward the back of the little children's boutique, Lola B., her eyes lit up with excitement as she ran toward a bookcase in the corner and exclaimed, "Check that out, Mommy! Monsters!" She then proceeded to pull every last one of them from the shelf describing their colors and silly faces. The bigger "monsters" were of course the Mommy ones and the smaller sized monsters, the baby ones. After much contemplation and comparison, she chose a small pink one named Moxy.

Moxy looks a little silly with her long ears resembling those of a bunny. Her wide eyed expression is complimented by her two yellow fang-like teeth protruding from her mouth. Even her feet are a little strange as they point inward in a pigeon-toed fashion. Although it seems a bit scary or odd for a child's lovey, it was love at first sight for Ava. Well, like at first sight is more like it. She'll never replace her bunny that is visibly worn with love but she did decide that it was time for her bunny to have a friend.

It has been 4 days and Moxy is still not allowed to come into Ava's crib with her. Each night when I ask if she would like Moxy join her and her bunny in bed, she sternly replies, "No Mommy, Moxy has to sleep on the couch." I have a feeling she will soon be allowed to join Ava and her bunny for their nightly slumber but in the meantime Moxy is doing her time on the couch.

During the day, Moxy, Bunny & Ava go everywhere together. And last night on the drive home from her father's house, Ava made up a song about Moxxie and sang it a few times through.

And Ode to Moxy

"And a two, and a three, and a two and a three
Moxy the pink monster....
Row Rowed a boat..
Down down the stream!
Merily, merliy Moxy,
Life is but a dream!

Arg! A pirates life for Moxy!
Riding on the boat!
Yo-ho! Yo-ho!
A pirates life for me...
A pirates life for MEEEEE!"

Repeat x3

*Moxy is part of a line of dolls called Ugly Dolls. Each comes with a silly story about their personalities.

Morning Conversations

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:06:00 +0000

"Mommy," said Ava, "I have teeth just like a beaver so I can eat my goldfish."

"You do?" I questioned.

"Yea, I like goldfish," she said.

Pumpkins & Festivals

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 15:25:00 +0000

Fall has always been my favorite time of year and as the leaves begin to change we've managed to head out to a few festivals to enjoy the pumpkins & harvest faire. Ava enjoyed her first true romp through a pumpkin patch, her first hayride and even her first pony ride this month. We've kept ourselves busy enjoying the beautiful fall weather.

Catching Up

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:42:00 +0000

It has been quite an eventful year and the last few months proved to be the most changing. Thankfully, Ava seems unscathed by it all and we've been enjoying ourselves immensely. She's grown a closer bond to me through all of the changes, especially after I returned back to work, as I have remained the one constant in her life that she can trust to always be there for that familiar comfort she needs. I can't describe how happy I am that she is still such a happy and giggly little girl. Her personality has blossomed so much this summer and her vocabulary astounds me. Some of the phrases that come out of her mouth leave me in hysterical laughter.

To catch up with the last few months, I am happy to report that Ava quickly overcame her distaste for the sand between her toes as we headed to the Jersey Shore a few more times throughout the duration of the summer. Of course, one of her many birthday celebrations was in Myrtle Beach, SC as well.

She took her first official ride in her Radio Flyer Wagon on the Fourth of July as she showed off her patriotism in one of her favorite dresses, her "Apple Dress" which she asks to wear every time she sees it hanging in her closet.

We even headed to Veterans Park later that night so Ava could catch her first display of fireworks. She was a little afraid at first but once Grandma & Mommy explained that it was Tinkerbell Fairy Princess Pixie Dust in the sky she soon started to repeat that mouthful of words as she pointed out all of the different colors she was seeing as all of the fairies glittered above her head.

On July 23rd we hopped on a plane with Uncle Andy to head down to Myrtle Beach, SC to meet up with the family who was awaiting the soon to be 2-year old's arrival! Ava really enjoyed her second plane ride and was very good for the duration of the flight. She even took a nap with Uncle Andy for most of the flight. As soon as we made it to the hotel in Myrtle Beach we had a family reunion of sorts with my moms sister and her family. Ava was completely in awe of "Baby Jasmine" and still to this day talks about her.

We spent most of the week on the Lazy River and in the kiddie pools which was difficult to get Ava out of as she became very attached to the tubes.

We celebrated her Birthday in the party room at the local Friendly's. Ava enjoyed coloring with Baby Jasmine and of course, stuffing her face with cake!

We wiggled our toes in the sand on the beach which Ava referred to as the "sand castle," and even managed a trip to the Aquarium to make fish faces at the fish before heading back to NJ.

When We got back to NJ, we celebrated Ava's birthday for a second time with her Daddy's Family. She had a party fit for a princess and was spoiled with too many presents!!

One of the presents that I gave her was a big wagon full of sidewalk chalk. She wore them down quickly as she left scribbles of bunnies and rainbows and hopscotch all over Grandmas sidewalk.

Sure enough, we had one more 2nd Birthday Celebration in New York. Ava shared her Great Uncle Dave's Birthday Celebration full of Pooh, bubbles and of course, more cake!

Before summer was done we even managed to get in one last swim! And although the warm sun is retreating for another two season, it was a great summer and I'm looking foward to what the rest of fall will bring.

Memorial Day Beach Romp

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:41:00 +0000

Ava and I spent Memorial Day down in L.B.I. with Uncle Andrew. We took her to 5th street beach in Surf City and I was so excited because it's been a year since Ava was able to play in the beach sand which she thoroughly enjoyed last year. However, when I took her shoes off and planted those wiggly toes in the sand, she was not enthused. The complete opposite reaction of what I was hoping for.

Ava seemed a bit "prissy" with the sand this year and didn't want it between her toes or on her hands. I could even get her to brave taking a few steps off of the towel. Ava was born a Jersey Girl and a true Jersey Girl LIKES the sand between her toes so my goal for the summer is flip her attitude with the sand.

The highlight of Ava's beach romp was the amount of planes flying by with their big banners tailing behind them. Everytime she heard the sound of the engines coming closer she would exclaim, "Airplane, aiplane! Listen Mommy an airplane! Where is it?! I SEE IT!!" It is the end of the week now and she still hasn't stoped talking about the airplanes she saw with Uncle Andy at the beach.

When we finished up at the beach we headed over to Andy's friend Bill's house where his family was having a BBQ. Ava was able to go swiming in the pool with Andy there too which she was looking foward to all day. She had so much fun in the water and was squealing with joy the entire time. I have a feeling another beach trip is in store for us really soon.....

Spring Photos

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Mon, 26 May 2008 12:23:00 +0000

I shot these on April 18 at Sayen Gardens and never had a chance to post them. Ava at 21 months!

In a field of Daffodils...she was the only one to *Bloom*

She was still for only 3 seconds before she ran away!

Picking flowers for Mommy

"Look Mommy, A Rock!"

Of all the pretty flowers, she's playing with rocks...

Ava in Wonderland

Oh the fun we can have with Photoshop!

All she needs now is her little dog Toto!

the colorings on the wall...

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:47:00 +0000

Last week while Mommy took about 1 minute to go potty, Ava decided to move her coloring from the paper on the table to an even bigger place to display her masterpiece. As I walked out of the bathroom I found her with a blue crayon being creative on my creamy white wall! Of course I had to explain to her once again, "We only color on the paper!" But I couldn't completely shun the scribblings she created on the wall. I am all for creativity so I'll decide to look at the matter as Ava seeking out another "medium" for her creative outlet...my wall.

Of course, she lost her coloring privileges for a week to make sure she understands what she did was not something she should do again. I left her artwork up on the wall and reminded her everyday that although her "painting" was beautiful, it should not be directly on the walls. My mother says I should leave it and just put a frame around it! Which actually might be an easier task than scrubbing all that crayola off and hoping the paint doesn't come with it.

I just laugh at the entire situation because it's just what kids do! I took some pictures of Ava and asked her to tell me what she did....

So proud of her masterpiece

Mommy: Ava what is that?
Ava: It's a painting! I color a circle.......... and a fower......... and a scribble heeeeeere.... and a scribble theeeeeeere..
Mommy: What color is your painting?
Ava: BUUUUUUE! A Bue circle!

Taking it back to Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:35:00 +0000

Two weeks late, but here are some pictures from the Azalea Festival at Sayen Gardens on Mothers Day. It was just Grandma, Ava and I!

She was picking Azaleas for me

Grandma and the Gorgeous Azaleas

Grandma & Ava

Watching the ducks and saying "quack quack!"

Ava & Mommy!!! Happy Mother's Day to ME!

She first called it a guitar because of it's strings and similar sound... haha!

Dancing to the harp music

Playing in the dirt as usual

Ava ripped her pigtails out! But she still looks cute!

Picking Clovers

another month gone by

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:10:00 +0000

I can't believe how fast this spring is flying by and quickly Ava's second birthday is approaching! As usual, she is blooming so quickly in front of my eyes and continues to surprise me each day with how easily she learns new things. What surprises me the most is her verbal skills. She has been speaking in full sentences for quite some time now and has advanced between a 3 and 4 year old with her verbal and cognitive skills. She blows me away with how easy it is for me to teach her something new and to see that she really understands it.

Ava knows all of her colors and will even describe an item to you (i.e. Yellow duck). She recognizes most of the letters of the alphabet thanks to her Leap Frog Fridge Phonics which she can't seem to get enough of. She knows all the names for the parts of her body. She's always asking questions and really pays attention to the answers or the descriptions you give her and Ava will always repeat it back as if she's making a note of it in her brain.

I am also proud to say that she has officially memorized "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," word for word, correctly! Her first attempts were quite humorous as previously noted here. She's now working on "Rock-a-Bye Baby" and "Old MacDonald." ("Oink Oink Oink Oink... eee iiii eeee iiii yoooooo!")

Everything that has been going on during the past few months doesn't seem to be having a negative impact on her developmentally or emotionally for that matter which I am very thankful for. She is, of course, a toddler however so the occaisional melt down does happen once in a while. But it usually doesn't take long to get behind those tears and figure out how to turn her attitude around. I am so thankful to have such a flexible child!

Who What Why?

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:40:00 +0000

It's been a while, I know. We've had a lot going on! In the meantime, here is a survey I recently participated in on one of my forums in honor of Mother's Day that is quickly approaching!

1. When did you know that you wanted to be a mother?
When I was a little girl! I am the middle child of 5 and out of all of my siblings I always acted like the mini-mom and enjoyed helping to take care of my younger siblings. I changed my first diaper when I was 4!!!

2. What is your proudest moment as a mother?
I am so proud to be Ava's mother when she shows me how fast and quickly she learns new things. As I see her grow and know that I am responsible for who she is I feel so proud that I am her mother.

3. Who inspires you to be the best mother that you can be?
My daughter inspires me to be the best mother I can. She was born premature and was sick for the first 6 months of her life. She overcame countless obstacles and many odds that were against her and at almost 2 she is completely healthy! If a little seemingly helpless child can do that, then I know I can do anything and I WILL do everything to be the best mother I can to her, she deserves the world for everything she had to go through from the moment of her birth and for the amazing little person she is.

4. What is your greatest wish for your children?
My greatest wish is for Ava to stay healthy and continue to grow without anymore setbacks. I wish for a healthy and happy future for her and for her to continue to be independent and the fighter she is throughout the rest of her life!

5. What is the very best part of being a mom?
When my daughter looks up at me and says, "I love you Mommy" in her sweet little voice.

Shoes... STILL!

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:13:00 +0000

Ava recently pulled out my first ever pair of teeny tiny tap shoes from when I was little. Of course she just HAD TO try them on because she thought they were her shoes. They were a little big, of course (I think I was in 2nd grade when I tapped?), but Ava was still excited to try them out.

I walked her into the kitchen and showed her how they make noise on the hard floor. We tried the simple, "Heel, Ball, Toe" combination and she was so proud that she was "tap tap tapping" like she saw Minnie Mouse do on TV.

Aside from the tap shoes, she's still getting into my closet full of shoes! If I walk in the door and kick off my shoes, Ava immediately runs over and grabs them and proceeds to the kitchen where she puts her tiny little feet in them and tries to walk around in mommy's shoes. This morning I walked into the kitchen and found 4 pairs of my shoes scattered accross the floor that I did not put there and somehow managed to overlook in my groggy state last night!

This is bad news because if she's anything like her Mommy or Grandma her closet is going to be consumed by shoes before she hits 16!

Heels, and she's not even 2!

"I think they fit, Mommy!"

Look at that chipmunk smile!

On the Phone with Mom-Mom

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:30:00 +0000

Ava talks...

And talks

"Hey are you listening to me?!"

...and talks some more!

*Feel free to comment your own captions, I haven't finished my coffee yet! haha

Playing in sand with boys

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:59:00 +0000

The weather has finally been gorgeous lately and Ava and I have been finding ourselves at the park at least two times a week! Her favorite thing to do at the park is the swings; Ava can swing for at least an hour! She is still a little too small for the slide but I still hold onto her as she goes down the little ones. On Wednesday we met up with my friend Nikki and her son Ty at the park and the kidlets found themselves enjoying the sandbox for quite some time!

Look at that shaggy hair!

Ty and Ava making sand go EVERYWHERE!

Of course Minnie had to go for a ride too!

North of the Border

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:23:00 +0000

We decided to take a last minute trip with my parents up to Niagara Falls on April 6th. My father was teaching a class at SUNY Buffalo which was only a short 20 minute drive from the Falls. Ava amazingly sat happily through the 7 hour drive up north and remained a happy child for the duration of the trip! Hopefully she'll feel the same way for the 14 hour drive to Myrtle Beach for her second birthday this summer! (fingers crossed).

We drove strait to the falls before checking into the hotel so we could see them in daylight hours. I haven't been there since I was little and I was excited to see them as an adult. Yet somehow the impact was not as grand this time as I remember the falls being much larger when I was much smaller. Ava liked the "wanafaws" and even wet a few diapers while watching the water spill over the edge.

On Monday my mother and I took Ava to see the whirlpool and hike along the gorge so I could take some pictures. Ava was excited to get out in the fresh air as we've been trapped inside for such a long unpleasant winter. The weather was much warmer on Monday and absolutely felt like spring, even with the snow on the ground and ice floating in the water.

It was a good trip, and the long car ride gave me a rare chance to just sit and do nothing! I truly enjoyed just watching the hillsides pass us by as Ava sat happily in her car seat.

The view of American Falls & Bridal Veil Falls from the American side

The view of American Falls from the Canadian side.

(Lots of ice formations on the rocks still)

It was 10 degrees colder and windy on the Canadian side.

Ava's bundled up with her bunny but she still enjoyed it!

We're freezing.. can't you tell?

A rainbow and the American Falls in the background

Grandma & Grandpa.. the one's who take Ava EVERYWHERE!

Horseshoe Falls aka Canadian Falls

Horseshoe Falls

Looking into the Whirlpool Basin from the American side

Strolling with Grandma

Old Fort Niagara Lighthouse

Read the interesting History of Fort Niagara here.

Lake Ontario, at the foot of Fort Niagara

Enjoying the falls one last time!

The Dancing Queen!

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:29:00 +0000

Like most babies, Ava found a love of dancing and moving her body to the beat of any song when she was a few months old. Her love of dancing has continued and whenever she hears a strong beat or an upbeat melody this child will get up and start dancing. Lately she has been attempting to sing and dance at the same time which winds up being a very amusing thing to watch.

My cousin Chris recently gave me a CD of his music so I popped it in this morning for Ava to listen to. From the way she was singing and moving, my guess is that she likes it! And for once I finally had the camera within arms reach when she started dancing today!

Here she is dancing to Chris's music (The Sitahsin):

Singing & Dancing with Props

Shake it!

New preemie study

noreply@blogger.com (JerseyFabulous) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:06:00 +0000

An interesting article found on AOL this morning:

Effects of Premature Birth Last a Lifetime
By CARLA K. JOHNSON,
AP
Posted: 2008-03-26 21:45:22

CHICAGO (March 25) - The largest-ever study of the long-term consequences of premature birth finds that children born early have higher death rates in childhood and are more likely to be childless in adulthood.

Experts called the research significant because it followed 1.2 million Norwegian births over decades. It also raises questions about future risks for even tinier babies saved today by modern medicine.

New drugs and therapies first used widely in the 1990s now save smaller and sicker babies. So the babies in the study may have been healthier, on average, than children born premature in recent years, experts said."Are we improving their survival but at the expense of significant problems down the road?" asked study leader Dr. Geeta Swamy of Duke University Medical Center.

Most preemies grow up to have good health and normal reproduction, but the researchers found heightened risks compared with babies born at full term from 1967 to 1988. The findings add to known consequences of prematurity such as lung problems, disabilities, mental retardation and school delays.

U.S. rates of premature births climbed steadily during the past two decades reaching an estimated 12.8 percent of births in 2006, government figures show. More than 540,000 babies were born premature that year. Fertility treatments that result in multiple births and older mothers contributed to the rise. (The rate of premature births in Norway that year was 7 percent.)

"In the United States, there is an epidemic of preterm birth, and prevention is absolutely critical," said Dr. Alan Fleischman of the March of Dimes. He was not involved in the study.

Fleischman said prevention efforts include hormone treatment for women with a history of giving premature birth, avoiding inducing labor unless medically necessary and reducing the number of embryos implanted at one time during fertility treatments.

In the study, appearing in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, more than 60,000 Norwegian children were born premature, about 5 percent overall. Only single births were included.

As expected, babies born early were more likely to die during the first year of life compared with babies born at term.

Surprisingly, their increased risk of death persisted as they aged.

The children who were born five to nine weeks early (28 to 32 weeks into the pregnancy) showed a doubled risk of death from ages 1 to 5 compared with children born at normal term. (The overall risk of death was low: 33 of the 5,880 children in the premature group died.)

When the researchers looked at boys and girls separately, they found a stronger link in boys between premature birth and higher death rates in childhood.

The causes of childhood deaths are still being analyzed, but birth defects and childhood cancers played a role, Swamy said.In adulthood, other differences showed up. Prematurity was linked to lower levels of education and more childlessness in both men and women in a subset of more than 580,000 births from 1967 through 1976.

Women who were preemies had a higher risk of giving birth to premature babies themselves. The risk of next-generation premature births increased with the severity of prematurity in the mothers.The study didn't examine reasons for these greater risks. Possible culprits include genetic differences, birth defects, economic factors and social obstacles, Swamy said.

As in other studies, there were more premature births among single mothers and those with less education.The research was based on data from Norwegian birth, death and other records.Norway's homogenous population and its universal access to medical care make the findings a "best case scenario," said Dr. Wanda Barfield of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She co-authored an accompanying editorial in the journal.In the United States, premature birth rates among black mothers are higher than among white mothers, she said.

The findings suggest people may want to tell their doctors if they were born early."That may help doctors to manage adult health and reproductive conditions for future generations," Barfield said.

On the Net: JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-03-26 09:38:06