Austin Sean and the MOD

We all hear about people we don't know who have had some wonderful experience with the March of Dimes but today I wanted to share my story with you.

On June 17, 1999, I was extremely pregnant with Austin, five days past my due date and it was HOT! I was done being pregnant and so I went to the park and walked three miles. I told him that he was being born TODAY! It worked. I got home, sat down and my water broke.

After twelve hours and much, much difficulty, he was born by emergency c-section. He was suspected to have meconium aspiration. He was white as a sheet and not moving. I cried, "Is my baby dead." A very inconsiderate nurse answered, "We don't know yet," in a very matter-of-fact tone. No care, no concern in her voice. They didn't tell me anything more, simply rushed him out of the room and continued to close me up. I ordered my son's father to follow them, as I had no clue where they were taking him. My father stayed by my side.

Once out of recovery and in my room, a very kind, plump woman came in. She looked like a fairy-tale grandma. She had short, curly salt and pepper hair, round wire-rimmed glasses and a gentle smile. She told me that she was from the March of Dimes and that she wanted to help me deal with my baby being in ICU. She explained to me what meconium aspiration was and why my son was being kept in the NICU. She held my hand and told me that everything was going to be okay. She asked me if I had planned to breastfeed and made all of the arrangements that Austin and I needed for that.

She was appalled when she found out that my father and I had been trying to get me a wheelchair all day and that I had not yet allowed to see my son. He was nearly a day old already. She arranged for a trip to visit my baby boy and stayed by my side as far as she could. She explained to me on the trip across the hospital the importance of skin-to-skin contact with my son and made sure that I was going to have as much time with him as I wanted.

Someone from MOD was there every day until Austin got to come home. Because they were there for me, I know that the money raised in this fundraiser will go to help another. Please, will you consider sponsoring me in the March for Babies? If so, please click the purple box in the right column of this blog.