We are at it again, but even more so!
This year, our family is participating in the March for Babies in April. I got a call two weeks ago inviting us to be the Tyler-area ambassador family. I resisted the urge to shout, "YEAH!" through the phone and kindly explained that I would need to discuss it with Allen first. A little elbow to the ribs worked well ;) Once we decided we were up to the challenge, we talked about it some with the kids at dinner. Ben, Maddie, and Jon surprised us by remembering participating last year. In their words, they are "happy to be at the parade to save babies." A few minutes later, Maddie asked how a parade could save babies, so we got to discuss it a bit. Will pouted through the conversation, which surprised me since he has really enjoyed participating the last two years. When we asked him about it, he claimed, "It's not fair that they get to do all that with you while I don't get to do anything." He further explained that since the triplets were the preemies, he knew it would be all about them. I am glad he brought that up, because it gave us the chance to explain that we are the Ambassador Family, we would all do it together, and March of Dimes was just as beneficial to us having a healthy pregnancy the first time around (with Will.) Allen and I later decided that at any planned speaking events we would have either all four kids or none of them, depending on the situation.
I called Abby back the next day and told her we were on board, but that we should get next year's family on board now. I am thrilled that, as of this week,
that family is on board, too, so they can be learning from our mistakes, getting excited with plenty of time to make things happen, and planting some seeds now that may fruit when they have the stage.
This has been an exciting two weeks for me. Several years ago, but I couldn't tell you exactly when, I realized that God wouldn't have put us through the difficult journey of the triplet pregnancy and NICU without having a really good reason. I still cringe when I hear the vital monitors on the TV when I'm watching House, I still can't stand the smell of certain hand sanitizers, and I still don't enjoy looking at photos of the first three months of Ben's, Maddie's, and Jon's life, BUT I still cling to the hope that there is a
reason we went through that and came out stronger. This opportunity is giving us a chance to share our story, to share the hope it may bring to others, and to share our passion for making a difference in the lives of babies. Last month, I shared
my testimony with my MOPS group and struggled to do it. I just about bit my tongue off the other day when I heard myself offer to share the same story with another local MOPS group interested in participating in the March. I have spent most my "alone" time in the last two weeks making countless calls to schools, co-workers, neighbors, and friends, just trying to get the word out there about what March of Dimes does in hopes of finding a few more team captains, walkers, or donors. Every little bit counts!
This Tuesday, Allen and I made our first "appearance" at the team captain rally. We only had to speak for a few moments, so it wasn't a
huge deal... yet it was. After a few other introductions and speakers, there was a video. WAIT!! Stop!! No one warned us that a 7-minute video would be impossible to watch. While it played, I busied myself shuffling through my packet of information, and I caught Allen averting his eyes, too. The video was partly a mom talking about her experience with a March of Dimes volunteer, but the rest of it was footage from her time with her preemie in the NICU. Hospital room... breathing tubes... feeding tubes... monitors beeping... a tiny baby with translucent skin barely covering her veins... wires and medical tape hiding her little body. The few seconds I saw were real enough I could
smell the hospital room and I was right back there feeling helpless and broken.
When it was over, Abby introduced us. Allen spoke for a few minutes about why our family supports March of Dimes and how the organization helps all babies -- Did you know that research funded by March of Dimes has resulted in the polio vaccine and in folic acid being recommended to women? When he finished, I did my best to encourage the team captains to help build the Tyler Team.
In doing some research the last two weeks, I've identified some specific ways, my little ones benefited from March of Dimes. I know this isn't an exhaustive list:
- I knew to take folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects
- I was educated about my dietary needs to help increase the triplets' birth weights
- We were educated about the signs of preterm labor
- We were educated about risk-reduction strategies for premature birth
- Before they were born, I was given steroid treatments to help their lung-development
- I was given medications in hopes of stopping preterm labor
- Ben, Maddie, and Jon (and Will) were all given APGAR tests which quickly asses the health of a newborn
- Ben, Maddie, and Jon were in a neonatal intensive care unit -- March of Dimes supports NICUs
- Ben, Maddie, and Jon were given surfactant treatments so they could inflate their lungs
- Maddie and Jon were given drug treatments to replace surgery for babies with a common heart defect (Ben didn't have the defect)
- Ben, Maddie, and Jon were tested for retinopathy and brain bleeds, but, thankfully, they were healthy
- We were given plenty of information to support and educate families affected by prematurity
If you've followed the blog for a few years, this story isn't new, it's just part of who we are. This is why we support March of Dimes:
Allen and I had a healthy two-year old son, Will, and we were thrilled to be expecting another baby. When we went for a routine prenatal check-up, we were startled when the sonogram showed three small hearts beating inside me. All at once, we were overwhelmed with emotions – joy that we were pregnant, excitement that there was more than one, fear of the unknown, stress about how we would pay for college for four children – and that is only the beginning of the feelings that overcame us in that first instant.
We rushed home after that appointment and I did as much research as I could about triple pregnancy. After the second sonogram confirmed there were still triplets, I did my best to pray, but I was overcome with fears as the babies and I faced such high risks. Some studies showed that only about half of the women pregnant with triplets actually deliver triplets. Sometimes the embryos are not viable. Sometimes there are miscarriages or still births. Sometimes the babies are born so prematurely that they are permanently disabled or not strong enough to survive.
During my pregnancy, my doctor gave me a new goal with each visit. First we had to make it to week 13, then week 16. At week 17, strangers passing me in the store warned me that my baby would be here any day now. My belly was about as big at four months as it was with Will just before he was born full-term. We hit the next few benchmarks -- week 18, then week 24, then week 28, which was my target all along. At week 29, the skin on my tummy was stretched so painfully tight that it was hard to feel the contractions. Our triplets were born on October 17, 2006. The babies were 29 weeks gestationally -- 11 weeks premature.
I stayed in the hospital a week, and leaving was the hardest and bravest thing I've done in my entire life. I had a two-year old at home 100 miles away who needed a mama, but I also had three preemies who were so fragile that it broke my heart to leave. I felt like I was the only one in the maternity ward going to the curb in a wheelchair without a baby, and we had not even been able to hold them yet. We prayed they would survive and come home someday.
Our triplets were considered micro-preemies because they were under three-pounds. Benjamin was the largest at 3 pounds, Madeline was 2 pounds 15 ounces, and Jonathan was 2 pounds 11 ounces. Their little bodies had immature lungs, no feeding reflexes, and severe anemia. Two of them had open vessels in their hearts that needed to be closed, but thankfully they were healed without needing heart surgery. Between the three of them, there were nine blood transfusions. All three started life in incubators not much larger than a shoebox, with an oxygen tube, a feeding tube, and at least one IV going into their small bodies. There were three probes on each of them that showed us their blood oxygen levels, their pulse, and their temperatures. My little babies were covered with tubes and wires, and we prayed that they would be healthy and without permanent handicaps.
They were about 3 weeks old before we were allowed to hold them; their skin was so delicate that we were only supposed to touch their heads or feet, but not caress them at all. That was so hard when all we wanted to do was cuddle our precious babies and let them know that they were loved. For the first month of their lives, each time the vital monitors alarmed, my heart raced as I assumed the worst. Though there were times they stopped breathing or their hearts stopped beating for a few seconds, we finally learned to be calm with the sirens and just do what was needed. Though other babies in the NICU were struggling to survive, our three thrived.
Today, life with four young children can still be a bit stressful at times, but we are so full of joy. Though three had to fight for their lives, God blessed us with four healthy kids. Seven-year-old Will is a proud big brother to our healthy four-year olds, Ben, Maddie, and Jon. We passionately believe that the research and education funded by the March of Dimes is the reason our three preemies survived and are the happy, busy preschoolers that they are. We are so thankful for the contributions that make the research and education possible. Our family encourages you to support the March of Dimes so that we can all work together to help babies begin stronger, healthier lives.
If you are interested in participating or donating to this cause, please click on the
March for Babies side bar or contact me by comment or email.
