Suburban March of Dimes walks help families with premature babies
At 23 weeks or 25 weeks pregnant, you're supposed to be feeling good.
You're more than halfway to your due date. You can feel that little one kicking and getting stronger. And you can picture yourself holding your baby for the first time, all tiny and beautiful. And healthy.
You don't — or you try not to — imagine heading to the hospital at that point to deliver a baby that still has more than three months of growing to do. You don't think about the tubes and machines and medicines that would be needed to help your baby breathe and eat.
March of Dimes does.
The organization is dedicated to helping families cope with the unthinkable.
Through fundraising, the March of Dimes supports research into treatments and technology — both those that can save a premature baby's life and those that could help mothers carry babies to term.
Other programs teach doctors, nurses and hospital staff to empathize with families who have delivered early and are fearing for their babies' lives as they watch through the window of the neonatal intensive care unit.
The organization also works with families, supporting them with education while their babies are in the hospital and providing resources as they begin caring for a child born premature.
On Sunday, April 17, thousands of families will walk in March for Babies events all over Illinois to raise money for March of Dimes and show their support for the organization that may have helped save their babies' lives.
Walks are in Elk Grove Village, Libertyville, Naperville and St. Charles. Walks are coming in May to Bolingbrook and Crystal Lake.
Today in Neighbor, three families share the stories of their children's births and the support they received from March of Dimes. To meet them, just turn the page.
‘Could history repeat itself'
Sarah Johnson, Grayslake
Statistics say that one of eight babies in Illinois is born premature, but all four of our children were born too soon.
Our first pregnancy was uneventful for the most part. Things were going fantastic and my husband, Chris, and I we were thrilled. We read all the books, which only touched on preterm labor. We didn't realize the seriousness of it until I started experiencing symptoms at 28 weeks.
I was admitted to the hospital for five days, then released on home bed rest for another three weeks. But the symptoms returned. I still had eight more weeks before my due date.
At 32 weeks, Brock Christopher arrived weighing 4 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 16 inches long. We saw him for just a second before they took him down to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He remained there for three weeks, where he mastered eating and breathing and grew to be just under 5 pounds.
He is now a healthy 4-year-old looking forward to playing soccer in the spring.
Fast-forward two years. After talking with doctors, we decided we wanted to extend our family. They told us we should be able to have a full-term, 40-week pregnancy. Not too long after, we were pregnant again, but this time with twins.
While we were monitored very closely, the unexpected still hit us. I suddenly went into labor at 23 weeks, just past the halfway point. But we couldn't make it to the hospital.
With the help of a 911 dispatcher, my husband delivered our tiny twins at home. Hayley and Jack weighed just over a pound each and were 12 inches long. Although they fought as hard as they could, they grew their angel wings after a few short hours.
We were devastated. Though, as time has passed, we have learned to live with the hole in our hearts and carry their memory with us always.
After much deliberation and further testing, we decided to try again to extend our family. On Christmas Eve 2009, we discovered we were expecting. We were excited, but scared. We couldn't help but wonder, “Could history repeat itself?”
It did. At 23 weeks gestation, I experienced the same symptoms of preterm labor as before. We made it to the hospital and I was admitted.
After 26 days, I developed a blood clot in my leg; we were forced to deliver. Millicent “Millie” Hope was born at 27 weeks — 2 pounds, 4 ounces, and 13 inches long. For 86 days, she fought in the NICU before coming home.
Today, Millie is doing great. Now 10 months old, she's a few months behind developmentally and in growth and has some asthmalike lung issues we're told she'll grow out of, but, overall, she's doing wonderful.
No one should have to endure what we did. There is no known reason or cure for what caused me to go into preterm labor.
March of Dimes is important to me because I truly believe in what they stand for and that one day all babies will be able to be born healthy. On Sunday, April 17, we will walk in the March for Babies so no one else has to follow the path we have been down.
Your support can help fund the research to find that cure as well as others so that all babies can be born healthy!
‘People everywhere prayed for our sweet boy'
Nicole Stevens, Naperville
While most people describe the birth of their child as the happiest day of their lives, the days surrounding the birth of our son were terrifying.
We had long dreamed of having a child and were thrilled to finally become parents. My entire pregnancy had been difficult, but on Feb. 16, 2009, my symptoms worsened and my husband, Joe, and I went to the hospital.
The doctor informed us we would be delivering via emergency C-section. I had severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome. We were terrified, but understood that the best place for our son was no longer inside of me.
Our son, Jack Anthony Stevens, was born at 1:49 a.m. Feb. 17, at 30 weeks old. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck three times. The doctor told us our son would not have survived had we waited to come in until the following morning.
Jack was surprisingly small for a 30-weeker. He weighed just 1 pound, 13.6 ounces, and was 13.5 inches long. Jack was taken to the NICU, but required minimal support.
The next day, things took a turn for the worse. Jack suffered a massive pulmonary hemorrhage, bleeding into his lungs.
The doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to stop the bleeding and stabilize him. They performed CPR, and Jack was placed on a ventilator. He received blood transfusions and medications to maintain his vitals. However, the ventilator was failing so NICU staff tried one last option — an oscillator.
Jack had already failed the oscillator once, but the incredible doctors and nurses refused to give up.
As Jack barely clung to life, we were finally able to see our precious boy. He was the size of two fists, sedated, with his chest paralyzed and vibrating from the oscillator. The IVs and machines seemed to cover every bit of his tiny, purple and swollen body.
We were torn between the excitement of welcoming our son and the immense fear that we might also be saying goodbye. We were grateful for each hour we spent with him. Despite all expectations, Jack survived the night. People everywhere prayed for our sweet boy and so did we.
Hours turned into days, and slowly Jack's condition began to improve. Jack struggled with typical preemie issues, but was a fighter. On April 26, 2009, family and friends walked the March for Babies in his honor. After 70 days, we were overjoyed to finally bring our miracle baby home.
Today, Jack is a happy, healthy 2-year-old with beautiful blue eyes and a contagious smile who brings joy to our lives.
Thanks to many prayers, the staff at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, and the March of Dimes, every day we get to spend with Jack becomes the happiest day of our lives. The research and treatments like surfactant, developed by the March of Dimes, saved our son's life. There is not a day that goes by that we don't look at Jack and give thanks for our incredible gift.
On April 17, we walk for Jack. We walk for other families who have been touched by the March of Dimes. We walk so that one day … all babies may be born healthy!
‘We will forever feel indebted to March of Dimes'
Nichole Petrovich, of Roselle, ambassador for Fox Valley/St. Charles walk
When my husband, Rob, and I decided to start a family, we never realized it would take us more than three years and hundreds of people supporting us to make our dream a reality.
Our journey began with three miscarriages, but with the help of the Hinsdale Center for Reproduction, multiple surgical procedures and several different drugs, we successfully conceived twins in October 2009.
Knowing the increased risks associated with multiples, I made sure to follow all of the pregnancy guidelines; however, at 23 weeks, and then again at 25 weeks, I was admitted into Central DuPage Hospital for preterm labor. Hearing the doctors discuss the viability of the twins was frightening, but thankfully delivery was prevented.
While full bed rest helped stabilize my condition, at 29 weeks the doctors discovered that our son, Liam, was not growing properly due to absent and reverse end diastolic flow in the umbilical artery, which is associated with a high mortality rate.
After a week of continuous monitoring, Liam's condition became life threatening, and an immediate C-section was scheduled.
Rob and I were worried about the complications associated with prematurity, but we were also extremely grateful that the babies had made it this far and that Liam's problem had been found to begin with.
Liliana Karsten and Liam Atticus were born 10 weeks early on May 7, 2010. We only briefly saw the kids in the delivery room as they were quickly wheeled in an incubator to the neonatal intensive care unit.
It was overwhelming at first to see how small Liliana (3 pounds, 1 ounce) and Liam (2 pounds, 7 ounces) looked and all the equipment being used to keep them alive.
For the next 60 days, we spent most of our time in the NICU as Lily and Liam faced many respiratory, cardiac and feeding challenges.
What could have been a very stressful and traumatic experience turned out to be a truly positive one thanks to March of Dimes and the expert level of care provided by the staff.
Without the technology and surfactant treatments developed by March of Dimes, our children would not have survived. In addition, any question we had was readily answered by the staff, and March of Dimes provided us with much information and support through their educational materials and website.
We will forever feel indebted to March of Dimes and are excited to walk in March for Babies on Sunday, April 17. During those two months at CDH, we saw hundreds of babies and families that directly benefited from March of Dimes, which is amazing since that was our personal experience at just one hospital.
Every day Rob and I feel blessed to have two healthy children in our lives, and we encourage others to ensure that more children are given this opportunity.
Please consider donating through Team Lilyliam at marchforbabies.org/team/t1535541. Donations to the March of Dimes fund vital research and programs that will educate mothers, provide specialized training to neonatal and perinatal staff, and help babies lead healthier lives.
If you go
The March for Babies to benefit the March of Dimes has 25 walks in locations throughout the state. Walkers are asked to collect pledges. Here's a look at what's happening in our area. For information, call (312) 596-4721 unless noted or visit <a href="http://www.marchofdimes.com/illinois/illinois.asp">marchofdimes.com/illinois/illinois.asp</a>.
Cook County
When: Registration begins at 8 a.m., walk at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 17
Where: Busse Woods, Higgins Road and Arlington Heights Road, Elk Grove Village
Distance: 3.2 miles
DuPage County
When: Registration begins at 8 a.m., walk at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 17
Where: Naperville Riverwalk west of Centennial Beach, 500 W. Jackson Ave.
Distance: 3.2 miles
Fox Valley
When: Registration begins at 8 a.m., walk at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 17
Where: Pottawatomie Park, 8 North Ave., St. Charles
Distance: 3.1 miles
Lake County
When: Registration begins at 8 a.m., walk at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 17
Where: Old School Forest Preserve, Saint Mary's Road between Route 176 and Route 60, Libertyville
Distance: 3.5 miles
Bolingbrook
When: Registration begins at 8 a.m., walk at 9 a.m. Sunday, May 1
Where: Bolingbrook Promenade mall, 631 E. Boughton Road
Distance: 3.1 miles
Info: (815) 741-3518
McHenry County
When: Registration begins at 7 a.m., walk at 8 a.m. Sunday, May 15
Where: McHenry Community College, 8900 U.S. Highway 14, Crystal Lake
Distance: 3.1 miles
Info: (815) 397-0097