Milestones don't look quite the same for premature babies as those for babies born full term. With significant challenges attached to their sometimes precarious start to life, it is potentially a miracle just to be held for the first time by a parent, or given a feed free of tubes and wires.
Noticing the popularity of milestone cards in photos of babies, mum Amy Purling decided to create milestone cards specific to the new life of a premmie baby, and premmie twins, so that parents could participate in this fond documentation on their own terms.
Having her son James at 30 weeks gestation and the subsequent five weeks where he fought for his life in hospital, Amy used a photo and journalling system to record his progress, from reaching his due date, to the first time he was wire free. It was then that she thought of the idea to make the Premature Baby Milestone cards, which are available in boy, girl, gender neutral and twin versions.
When James finally came home from hospital, the baby book Amy was using didn't have the same milestones as a baby born full term, or he was hitting them at a different age, so she's now working on a premature baby scrapbook which is designed to hold each milestone card with its accompanying photo.
If you would like to order a set, they're $35 plus $10.85 postage from Miracle Mumma. Also available is a range of customisable preemie-specific birth prints.
Of special note, is Amy's blog, where there are many posts about the experiences of having a premature baby.
