I am walking in the March of Dimes for healthy babies
This post will appear at the top of my blog till May 1, 2011. To view new blog posts please scroll to the bottom of this post.
Giving birth to a baby is usually among the happiest moments in a couple’s life. At birth there are tears of joy, lots of cuddling and celebrant loved ones all around. A few days later arrives the triumphant journey home with a blessedly larger family.
That was not the case for us. I developed eclampsia and was only 31 weeks and 1 day pregnant when my OBGYN told me to call Victor to the hospital as our girls had to be delivered that day. I hugged my huge belly and cried and cried and cried because I was not ready for the girls to come out yet, because it was still too early for them to be born.
Our girls were born tiny – weighing in at 3 lb 8 oz and 2 lb 11 oz. We were hoping that they would cry to signal their arrival into this world, and they did – for us it was the most welcoming sound heard in a long time. Quickly the team of doctors and nurses whisked the girls to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) – I was not able to see them till two days later.
I was not prepared for what I saw – both of them connected to machines with IVs and wires everywhere and of course more tears followed. I was discharged from the hospital a few days later and we came home empty-handed – with both girls in NICU. What followed were weeks of daily visits to the hospital, talking to the doctors about possible complications, and spending a lot of time searching medical terms on google.
We celebrated every tiny milestone – the girls gaining ounces, being able to breathe on their own, being disconnected from IVs, learning to regulate their body temperature, going for a full day without any apnea episodes. They got stronger and bigger every day and eventually both of them were able to reach the magic weight of 4 lbs – one of the pre-requisite for us to take them home.
Fast forward three years and we have two healthy, beautiful, happy (except for occasional tamtrums) and very spirited little girls – looking at them now it is hard to imagine where they started. Research funded by March of Dimes made it possible for kids like Mia and Alexa to have a healthy future and we will forever be grateful to this organization.
So you can see why March of Dimes is an organization that is near and dear to my heart. Ever since the girls were born we’ve been making donations. This year all four of us will be joining thousands of people across the country for a 5 K walk. I would love it if you can support our walk and make a donation to this life saving organization. And if the good karma that accompanies each good deed is not enough, to help with the fund raising I am giving away a photography package valued at $1245 to one random donor. So please make a donation and encourage your family and friends to do that as well.
What you can win:
- A Signature photo session for a family of up to five people
- 20-25 fully edited images (sized to 8×12) on a CD – print to your heart’s content!
How to win:
- Make a MINIMUM donation of $10 to support our team’s walk for the March of Dimes http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=3753766&ct=4&w=4804746&u=TwinsAandB
- All entries must be received by midnight (EST) on May 1, 2011
- Winner will be drawn at random and announced on the blog on May 2, 2011. If a winner does not claim his/her prize by May 5, 2011 another winner will be drawn
- You can enter as many times as you’d like, but each entry must be the minimum $10 donation
Other details:
- Session participants must sign a model release
- Session will be held in Bergen county within 15 miles of Ridgewood (07450) and will take place before the end of August 2011
- If a winner is not local to the area, he/she may gift the session to his friends/family in the area
Please share this post with your friends and family. Together we can make a difference and with help of March of Dimes improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality!
Tears…love that you are supporting such a great cause. Love the family pictures too 😉 You guys are adorable…so lucky to have those beautiful girls!
Such a good organization and offer!
That picture in the bottom right corner warms my heart 🙂
Very amazing! You have such a sweet heart!
Love that you’re doing this! Such an amazing giveaway!!
How generous! I love your photography too!
Awww.this warms my heart!!
What a great group to support!
I work in the NICU, so I see miracles happen every day. I love that you are supporting the March of Dimes in this way! I’m so happy all turned out well for your girls. You have a beautiful family 🙂
I love that you’re doing this! 🙂
Thank you for supporting the March of Dimes. They were a great support and help to us when our youngest was born prematurely and spent several weeks in the NICU. Especially for our older 2, sending them to the Science Museum at no cost… that was so special!
This is a great idea, good job!
What a great cause. Sharing this…
Thank you for sharing your story of hope. What a wonderful cause you are partnering with. Best wishes!
i can see why this cause is so special to you! good luck!
I teared up reading this! what a great charity – best of luck to you!!
An incredible story and you are raising money for an AWESOME cause! I am a labor and delivery nurse (and baby photographer) in Baltimore and I have to say – the March of Dimes is an incredible organization! I wish you nothing but the best and am so happy to hear their scary beginning is a happy story!
Such a great cause and an incredible story, you are an amazing person!