Premature Baby Cousins Celebrate

First Birthdays Together

By Nancy K. Crevier

A baby’s first birthday is always a wonderful milestone, and when that baby has a cousin also celebrating her first birthday, it is twice the reason to rejoice. When both of those babies were born prematurely, just days apart, birthday number one calls for an all-out family celebration, and that is just what the families of Rory Elizabeth Eberlin of Sandy Hook and Abigail Rose Pewterbaugh of Aston, Penn., did on August 4.

Rory, the daughter of Heather and Roger Eberlin, was born at Danbury Hospital, July 28, 2011, approximately six weeks before her due date. The mother of 20-year-old Arielle, 16-year-old Alex, and 3-year-old Miles, Ms Eberlin said that until halfway through her pregnancy with Rory, she had never experienced any problems during her pregnancies. But following on the heels of blood test results that indicated a one in two chance that the baby might have Down syndrome, Ms Eberlin was diagnosed with placenta previa, preventing the baby from receiving full nourishment in the womb.

As the baby’s in utero growth lagged, and with Ms Eberlin on full bed rest beginning in June, doctors decided that the placenta had failed to the point that the baby had to be delivered. An emergency C-section was performed on July 28.

Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, Mr Eberlin’s sister, Beth, also expecting, began to experience difficulties. “Our son, Miles, was staying with Beth and her fiancé while I was in the hospital on bed rest,” explained Ms Eberlin, “when we got a phone call that Beth had picked up Miles, and began to get severe neck pain. It didn’t go away, and turned into an awful headache, so they took her to the hospital.”

The diagnosis was toxemia. The extremely high blood pressure put the mother and baby at risk, so on August 3, nine weeks early, Abigail was delivered by emergency C-section, as well.

Both babies were tiny — Rory at 3 pounds, 4 ounces, and Abigail at 2 pounds, 4 ounces, and both were just 15½ inches in length, but both were perfectly healthy.

“Rory and Abigail spent the first month in Neonatal Intensive Care Units, but both Beth and I had received shots before the births that helped the babies’ lungs develop, so neither ended up on a ventilator even,” said Ms Eberlin.

The Danbury Hospital Spratt Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) provided wonderful care, said the Eberlins, tube feeding Rory and keeping her warm in an isolette until she was strong enough to go home to bottle and breastfeed.

“My 3-year-old was there briefly after his birth but [the NICU] was small and crowded then,” Ms Eberlin said. A recent remodeling of the hospital area, though, meant that each baby has a private room with an attached area for parents and privacy.

Bathrooms with showers for NICU patient parents, a waiting area with a kitchenette, and tables, a sofa and television make the long waits families endure more comfortable, she said.

“I stayed overnight once, which they are equipped for, but it was too noisy with the nurses coming in and out doing their rounds. To be fair, though,” added Ms Eberlin, “they said I was the first mom who had stayed overnight, so they probably just weren’t used to it yet. Instead, I came each morning and stayed for as long as possible and went home to sleep.”

The Eberlins have great praise for Rory’s doctor, Dr David Treece, and her main nurse, Sue. “Many of them remembered us from when Miles was there,” Ms Eberlin said, and her own nurse who had cared for her during a scare while on hospital rest made a point of coming to the NICU to meet Rory.

“Although it is an awful feeling to come home from the hospital without your baby, they did make it easier. We could not have gotten through our experiences last summer without them, our family, our church family, and our faith in God,” Ms Eberlin said.

When Rory left the NICU the end of August, she was a whopping 4 pounds, 6 ounces, a pound heavier than her cousin Abigail at that point.

Rory’s first weeks of life were just a taste of adventures yet to come, though.

“The nurses told me that babies that endure a lot during pregnancy are fighters. And apparently, girl preemies are actually more apt to thrive than boy preemies,” Ms Eberlin said. Having a fighter came in handy when four days after the Eberlins brought Rory home, Tropical Storm Irene knocked out power to the town.

“I had to be really careful to sterilize everything, and we had to have running water, because preemies’ immune systems are at risk for several more weeks than even a normal birth,” Ms Eberlin said, “so I lasted just 24 hours before I packed up everything and we left town for Roger’s parents’ house, in Pennsylvania.”

It was a great opportunity for the two small cousins to meet, though, she said. “We were in Connecticut, so I had never had a lot of time to spend with Beth. We are definitely closer now. We have so much in common with the babies,” Ms Eberlin said. The two mothers knew immediately that they would have to celebrate Rory and Abigail’s first birthdays together.

No sooner had the Eberlins returned to Sandy Hook and settled into somewhat of a routine with Rory, than Storm Alfred roared through town, and it was back to Pennsylvania for another extended visit. It was a busy first three months for the new baby and family. “Rory is tough, though. She caught a little cold and had a cough that worried us a bit when we were in Pennsylvania, but she shook it and hasn’t been sick since,” said Ms Eberlin.

“She’s been a real trooper,” added Mr Eberlin.

Abigail and Rory spent the next nine months prior to their first birthdays eating, sleeping, and most importantly, putting on weight. “It was funny. The girls seem to stay exactly a pound apart. For a long time it was Rory who weighed one pound more, but on their first birthdays, Abigail was one pound over Rory’s weight of 15½ pounds,” said Ms Eberlin.

On August 4, 45 friends and family members of the two little girls gathered at the West Grove, Penn., Eberlin homestead to fete the cousins. “This was an especially joyous occasion,” said Ms Eberlin, filled with thanks for the health of Rory and Abigail, who had gotten a jumpstart on their lives, just one year ago.

The families will no doubt continue to get together for the babies’ birthdays each year, “But,” said Mr Eberlin, “on a smaller scale.”