Celebrating Healthy Babies

On Sunday, April 18th, our family participated in the March for Babies walkathon in Salisbury, MD, to celebrate healthy babies and to honor those babies who have struggled.  We have certainly benefited from the continued efforts of the March of Dimes to improve the health of all babies. 

As all of you know, this past June, we learned just how scary premature birth can be when Gavin was born just shy of 38 weeks. Although 38 weeks is typically considered full-term, Gavin's lungs were not fully developed. He spent 9 days in the NICU and was given two doses of surfactant to improve his breathing. Although the experience was harrowing, we realized how fortunate we were to have access to expert healthcare and state-of-the-art medical technology and resources. Due in large part to the tireless efforts of the March of Dimes, Gavin will be ensured a healthy, promising future. 

Ryan also threatened to arrive too early.  I went into preterm labor with him at 24 weeks and was put on bedrest for the duration of my pregnancy - 15 weeks, to be exact!  To prevent contractions and delay premature birth, I was put on a terbutaline pump, which was a device I had to wear at all times that constantly delivered low-level doses of terbutaline through an injection site on my thigh.  I also had to be monitored twice daily for contractions and was given two betamethesone steroid shots as a precautionary measure to accelerate the development of the Ryan's lungs should he be delivered prematurely.  Despite our early scare, Ryan made it to term, due in large part to advancements in preventing premature labor and delivery made possible by the efforts of the March of Dimes.

Given our boys' experiences, we wanted to support the March of Dimes' mission by raising funds to help finance research, advocacy, and education initiatives to help give all babies a healthy start!

Thank you to all who donated and who braved the cold temperatures and brisk winds to celebrate healthy babies, particularly Ryan and Gavin!