"Morning Joe" Scarborough Expects a Premature Baby

Joe Scarborough, currently of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," and wife Susan are at the hospital today awaiting the premature birth of their child. According to Newsbusters, Susan Waren Scarborough has had a difficult pregnancy and things took a turn for the worse. Scarborough, a former congressman from Northwest Florida, has been a controversial conservative pundit for MSNBC and is best known for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

As a mother of a premature infant, I can empathize with the Scarboroughs. After having had the pleasure of meeting Joe Scarborough at the Republican convention in Florida, I hope the best for his family. My daughter was born at 32 weeks gestation which is roughly 2 months early. We, like the Scarboroughs, had an idea that our daughter might be born early as I too had a difficult pregnancy. But it is not something that you can plan for because there are so many different variables. Since you cannot plan, here are a few things we discovered to help us cope.

Get help. If there are any foreseeable difficulties on the horizon, get help. Look to family members who can come stay with you to help around the house. With most high risk pregnancies, such as mine, you will most likely be on bed rest. Have a friend or family member help you with childcare and household duties so you can rest. Keep the help around after the birth because you will be spending a lot of time in the neo-natal intensive care unit with the baby. Your baby will need your focused attention so do what you need to free yourself up.

Get prepared. It never hurts to prepare. Hopefully, you will have a full-term child but high risk pregnancies have a greater chance of early arrivals. I was hospitalized twice prior to an emergency c-section and the neo-natal doctor came to explain what could and should happen should I give birth early. My obstetrician was also very good at explaining and reassuring me as to what could happen. It was still a shock to me when my daughter arrived so early but it helped to have the knowledge ahead of time and what steps the doctors would take.

Also, have your hospital bag packed early. I did not have one ready and regretted it.

Get certified. Hospitals with NICU (neo-natal intensive care units) often offer classes on infant resuscitation, care of preemies, et cetera. Take what you can. The infant resuscitation is especially important. But you will also find that preemie care classes offer a fantastic look into what to expect with an early arrival. You will learn that burping, bathing, and feeding a preemie is very different.

Get a reality check. Just as with full-term births, you cannot foresee everything. Birthplans are great to have as a guideline, but do not be surprised if it gets thrown out the window. You will have to adjust your expectations with a preemie. Breathing issues are one of the biggest concerns in early births. If the doctor has given you steroids to help lung development, your baby may fare better as a preemie. The suck, swallow, and breathe combination that your baby needs for feeding is one of the last things to develop in utero. If she is early, she may not know how. Breastfeeding, while not impossible, can be very difficult. It will be hard, especially if you go into the situation with a lot of ideas. Focus on small victories like a sucking reflex. Strengthen her muscles by using a pacifier. Keep your expectations low.

Get Kangarooed. The Kangaroo Care method is great for all infants but has seen amazing results in premature infants. A doctor in South America discovered that mothers and fathers who held their premature infants on their chest, skin-to-skin, saw improvements faster than those who did not. Body temperature fluctuations, sleep disturbances, bradycardia (abnormal slowing of the heart rate), and breathing issues are improved when Kangaroo care is employed.

We kangarooed our daughter and she was able to come home after just four weeks in the NICU. Human contact is an amazing healer. Sleep is much needed for infants, particularly for the premature, and can often be disturbed due to the loud nature of the NICU. We held her for hours on our chests, skin-to-skin, and she slept so peacefully.

If Kangaroo Care is not something you can do (perhaps due to a ventilator), find a scrap of fabric to place near your child's face. We had a dandle doll, a small flat fabric doll, made of flannel. Put in inside your clothing for several hours to get your scent on it and then give it to the child. When we were not able to be in the NICU with our daughter, the nurses placed the doll close to her face so she could smell us. The effect is amazing. She was calmer and slept better when she had the doll.

Be aware of what can happen in your high risk pregnancy, but planning for it can be awkward due to so many variables. Try to take each day as it comes and do not borrow trouble from the next.