In the NICU I was blessed to meet some other parents and we supported each other, cried with each other and those of us that prayed, prayed hard.  I had the shortest stay out of my group at 64 days and remember walking down to say goodbye to Alyssha and her parents and they were just receiving the news that her ROP would require eye surgery and there was a good chance she wouldn’t have vision.  I sat and cried with her father, feeling terrible that I was there to tell him we were going home.  Luckily beautiful Alyssha’s surgery went great and she has vision! 

I could tell all kinds of stories, ups and downs and we all still keep in touch and try to have preemie playdates when possible.  But we created our own support system, and it would have been unbearable without my friends that I made as they got it, they knew how hard it was and when we went home, we could hang out and know that you had to scrub your hands pink before touching each others babies.

One evening, we ordered pizza and snuck in wine (yep, we sure did) and celebrated when baby Natalie who was born at 11″ long and 1lb even was FINALLY going home!  She would be leaving with oxygen, apnea monitors and being fed through an NG tube.  We joked about funny t-shirts/onesies that we wish were out there, and the idea for It’s a Preemie Thing was born (yes, “O2…it’s not just for old people” was made for Natalie).  We were released on 29 JAN 2010 and I launched IAPT on Labor Day (pun intended) on 6 SEP 2010. 

Not even a year later, we have over 4000 fans and some amazing fellow preemie parents to vent to, chat with, ask questions, celebrate with, and unfortunately console when some of these tiny miracles become Angels.  So thank each of you for helping to support others that are walking where we’ve been, or going through it now or went through it years ago.  We have NICU Nurses and lactation consultants that chime in and just amazing people that donate goodies on occassion.  So THANK YOU for helping build a great online community!

I have 4 prizes to giveaway, and each one will have a winner, so more folks can win rather than one big winner!

Prize 1:  TWO onesies/t-shirts from It’s a Preemie Thing!  **Must be a fan of our FB page, leave a comment below (must be left here on the blog) that you want Prize 1, how you found us in the first place and which two shirts you want!  Please select from our current stock, even in print on demand!

Prize 2.  A beautiful newborn sized hat (which runs small, perfect for preemies) from Artsychameleon Props.  I already have the hats, as they were donated by a friend of hers (thanks Isaac)!  **To enter for this hat, you must be a fan of hers and tell her I sent you and leave some love!  Leave a separate comment below that you want Prize 2!**

Prize 3:   A beautiful Momma necklace from EllieAdorn (actual necklace pictured)!  I have about 5 of these, they are great for little ones teething, made of polished stone so are smooth and cool!  They are also fantastic for those little busy ones who need something to occupy them while they are nursing!!  **You must like her page and leave her some love and let her know IAPT sent you!  Then leave a separate comment below that you want to win the EllieAdorn necklace!!**

Prize 4: An ABC themed girl OR boy print from Wordy Bird Design. (see images below). **To enter, you must like her FB page and tell her IAPT sent you! Leave a separate comment below that you want to win Prize 4!**

So in all, you can have 4 comments to win each prize!!  For extra chances to win:

1. Change your FB status to “Preemie families, check out the 4000 fan giveaway from @It’s a Preemie Thing at http://blog.itsapreemiething.com/2011/07/4000-fan-giveaway/!”  Be sure to link to It’s a Preemie thing FB page!

2.  Follow us on Twitter at @apreemiething and then Tweet: Preemie families, check out the 4000 fan giveaway from @apreemiething located at http://tinyurl.com/5vd5vwk

Contest will run until midnight on 20 July 2011 and winners will be announced on 21 July!  All prizes are exactly as pictured or explained, no exceptions.  Contest is not sponsored, nor endorsed by Facebook.