March for Babies!

I'm sure all of you saw the sidebar raising money for March of Dimes and a HUGE thank you to those who have donated! And one last ask for help! Our local walk is Sunday and we're planning to be there with Hailey, Brennan and Brooklyn! Landon promised he'd make it next year! In preparation for the walk, I wanted to tell you a little bit about March of Dimes and why it's so important to us...

Our micro-preemies who wouldn't have had a chance of survival even a few years ago!

March of Dimes invested $26.8 million dollars in 2008 to new research grants to better understand and eventually prevent birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Our kids have benefited tremendously by their research and could have benefited more by new research. The medicines that helped stop (postpone) my contractions were developed in part from March of Dimes. The surfactant that helped speed up their lung development before and after their birth - yep March of Dimes. The treatment of many of their complications during the early weeks. I found this list on their website and thought I'd share - it shows just how miraculous our babies are and how important treatment is. If you want to learn more, check out the website at www.MarchofDimes.com.

Medical complications common in premature babies:
Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) - check x4
Apnea - check x3
Intraventricular Hemorrhage (IVH) - check x2
Patent ductus arteriosis (PDA) - check x3
Necrotizing entercolitis (NEC) - check x2
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) - check x3 (or 4 if you count Brennan's repeat!)
Anemia - check x3
Chronic lung disease (BPD) - check x3
Infections - check x lots!

We are so grateful for everyone's thoughts, prayers, and encouragement during this incredible journey! We're so thankful for the NICU staff and March of Dimes and all that has been done to give our babies the best chance! Check back this weekend for pics of our family and the awesome t-shirts my work has put together! Keeping you in suspense! :)