Hittin' the streets, for tiny feet!

Saturday, April 17th, was the March of Dimes, March for Babies.  This was my 3rd walk in 4 years, and the largest one I have walked.  Wyatt, Chris and I got up very early on Saturday to get to Phoenix in time for the 7:00 a.m. registration, and walk at 8:00!  I love this organization because they have been so effective in their mission of preventing prematurity as well as supporting research and families who are impacted by prematurity.  March of Dimes last campaign was to encourage and educate women on the importance of Folic Acid during their pregnancy, and even before they ever conceived in order to prevent spina bifida as well as other birth defects.  They can take much of the credit for women knowing the importance of prenatal vitamins!  Prematurity is becoming all too common, and March of Dimes has become a leader in helping families to prevent as well as save premature babies. 

As we were getting ready for the walk to begin, I made note of the many teams wearing their team shirts. Many were from hospitals, banks and other businesses.  I was moved most by the families who were wearing the shirts in honor of their little ones.  So many families had shirts with pictures of their babies, so tiny, hooked up to tubes and machines, always pictured with the hand of their mom or dad in the frame.  Under the picture, many families had the name of the baby with the exact dates of their birth and their death.  I cried while we registered as I read the shirts.  Every time I turned around I saw another one, all with dates 3-4 weeks apart.  I cannot fathom that kind of pain.  I found these families incredibly empowering and they really reminded me why I was there.  I was there to support them, because my babies were and are healthy.  I am one of the lucky ones.  As we walked through downtown Phoenix it was so heartening to see families lining the roads to cheer us on.  I snapped a picture of one such family and the signs that were everywhere.  They were yelling, "Thank you!" "Bless you" and so on.  Their sweet babies had survived.  Many of them held signs with their little ones name, picture, some saying "Born 15 week Early....Now 5 years old and Healthy!"...all of them had little anecdotes like that.  It was a sharp contrast to the saddness for the families who had experienced the loss of a child.  I walked feeling so hopeful and amazed that so many people took time to raise awareness and money for a great cause.  Those of us who are blessed with healthy births, babies and get to take our babies home from the hospital right away should really pay it forward.  By the grace of God....

I am hoping to organize such a walk in the next year to raise money of Infantile Scoliosis Outreach Program.  This organization helped us so much, and I know how great these events can be to get the word out.  A friend in Texas (I follow her blog if you are interested) has done this before and I would like to pay it forward!  If you are an expectant mother or going to have babies at some point, check out the March of Dimes website.  It is full of great information on how to prevent prematurity and have a healthy pregnancy and baby!  What a great way to spend the morning.  Hug your babies if you have 'em!