March for Babies

I've joined Itty Bitty Becca's Team for the March of Dimes March for Babies this year! 



I didn't know much about the March of Dimes until my friend Nancy had her sweet baby Becca at only 28 weeks gestation. Since then, Nancy has been a tireless advocate of the work that March of Dimes does to ensure healthy babies and healthy mommies in all pregnancies. Their research into prenatal care, prematurity, and birth defects is saving babies, like Itty Bitty Becca, every day.

In the past year March of Dimes has become even more important to me. I went into pre-term labor at 17 weeks and ended up on bed rest for five months while waiting to bring my youngest son into the world. Happily, he was born at 39 weeks, healthy and vibrant. However, we discovered he has a tethered spinal cord, a birth defect related to spina bifida. The work of March of Dimes helps babies like my David make it to full term and supports families who are dealing with NICU stays or birth defects.


In addition to my own experiences, I am thankful for what the March of Dimes has contributed to the health of Itty Bitty Becca and others like her. My tiny friends Lydia and Penny are lovely twin girls who also were born at 28 weeks, and I am thankful for the research that is helping them flourish and grow. 


So this year, I am joining the March of Babies and walking on April 17 to support March of Dimes. If you want to support my walk, you can visit my March for Babies page (or click on the bar on the right side of my blog) and contribute to March of Dimes. Your gift will help March of Dimes strive toward their goal of healthy babies and healthy families! Thanks!

2-9 David Update

We saw the neurosurgeon at the children's hospital on Monday. Originally our pediatrician thought they might do the de-tethering surgery when David is 2 or 3 years old, but the neurosurgeon recommends we do the surgery when David is 3-6 months old.
I'm scared for my baby to have surgery, but I agree with the reasoning behind it. Sometimes physicians wait to do the surgery until there are signs of neurological impairment (trouble walking or incontinence), but our neurosurgeon prefers to do the surgery before problems appear because occasionally the damage cannot be reversed.
The next step is an MRI to confirm the diagnosis. David will need to fast for 6 hours and then be sedated before the procedure. That's very frustrating, because our pediatrician scheduled an MRI when David was a few days old, but the neurosurgeon canceled it because he wanted to talk to us first. However, he didn't tell us anything on Monday that couldn't be said over the phone. He didn't even examine David.
Sigh. I'll definitely be turning to some of you NICU moms for your pro surgery support. I have no idea how I'll cope with a hungry baby for several hours. My brother has suggested that they sedate me as well.
If I've been listening to the doctors correctly, David's specific condition is called lipomyelomeningocele. It's actually fairly rare, less common than what's traditionally known as spina bifida (myelomeningocele).  The prognosis seems to be very good, but of course we'll know more after the MRI.
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers! They are appreciated!