Congratulations on the birth of your daughter, hoyateach! I am sorry it is under such scary circumstances, but let me reassure you that happy endings are possible.

As a family doctor including OB in my practice, my premie experience relates to my patients. One of my patients went into labor at 25 weeks and her labor couldn't be stopped. The NICU staff were there for the delivery, but the baby was quite vigorous and didn't need much resuscitation as he weighed 750 grams and had Apgar scores of 8 and 9, pretty amazing for such a little, early guy. Though he had a lengthy NICU course with a few ups and downs, he survived and thrived, and was totally normal by the time he started school.

As for your practical question, is it possible for you to use a refundable ticket for your interview trip? Or buy a fully refundable one way return ticket that you can use if need be? That way you could fly home immediately should the need arise. Like many doctors who deliver babies, I am somewhat superstitious; if you are prepared to return home for an emergency, it won't happen.

Some of my "premie parents" take minimal maternity (or paternity) leave immediately after the birth, getting back to normal work and school routine pretty quickly. The NICU staff will be doing all the baby care 24/7 anyway, so they save their leave/vacation time for when the baby comes home from the hospital for all the usual newborn homecoming activities.

Having followed your job search all this long while, I can fully understand your need to travel to the interview despite the precarious situation at home; on balance the job opportunity is so worth it to you and your family.

Please PM me if I can help with any specifics. And remember you have many other FlyerTalk friends around who will help you any way that we can - just let us know what you need.