Lukas turned 15 this year. A cool teenager, a little shorter than most of his peers, but one with a lot of bite and brains. Lukas’ parents are happy every day that they have him. Only his birthday is “always difficult emotionally,” says his mother Silke Mader . “February 17 is also associated with painful images.” Because Lukas was born prematurely , three and a half months before the calculated date.
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causes
Like him, more than 66,000 children are born in Germany every year before the 37th week of pregnancy. An infection is often the cause, but hormonal disorders or high blood pressure can also trigger the hasty start in life. “Despite medical advances, these children are often in mortal danger for weeks because their lungs are not mature or their kidneys are not yet functioning,” explains Silke Mader.
life with a premature baby
Shaped by her experiences, she now supports other parents: After years of work in various self-help groups, the 40-year-old educator has been Chairwoman of the Board of EFCNI since 2008, a Europe-wide networked foundation that promotes exchange between doctors and science, care and politics. With her team in Karlsfeld near Munich, Silke Mader fights for parents’ interests and help for the medical care of the children. So that others don’t have it as difficult as they once did. “I was 25 and expecting twins when I was diagnosed with toxemia at 24 weeks. Our children had to be fetched immediately,” says Silke Mader.
The procedure went well, the babies Lukas and Lena were very small at 500 and almost 300 grams, but fit. On the third day afterEmergency caesarean section , however, Lena got a cerebral hemorrhage and died. “To this day it still seems completely surreal to me. I was in the intensive care unit, hadn’t even properly welcomed my babies, whose hands were as big as thumbnails, into this world and should I say goodbye to my daughter again?”
Psychological support, information on how to proceed – that would have Silke Mader and her husband used. “We were overwhelmed with Lena’s death and concerns about Lukas’ health.” There were also financial difficulties. “We didn’t have the money for a funeral or the daily travel expenses. After all, Lukas received intensive medical care for four and a half months.”
10% of all babies in Germany are born prematurely
The fact that parents find help in such a situation today is also thanks to Silke Mader’s fate. She recognizes how much has happened. “The mere fact that attention is paid to avoiding noise and dimmed light in premature baby wards to reduce the stimuli is a success.”
But many problems only appear years later. Lukas was four when he had to lie in a cast for months due to hip damage. The family has been through so much. Silke Mader knows that others don’t have as much strength. That is what motivates them.
