It's Time to March!

Jen and the girls at the 2011 March

One...two...three...four...

It's that time of year again for the Phellehers' third annual March for Babies with the March for Dimes. We support the March of Dimes because research it funds allowed our girls not just survive, but to thrive. 

Lucy marching in 2011.

For those new to this story, identical twins Lucy and Sage came 9.5 weeks early in March 2009. In utero, the girls had a condition called twin to twin transfusion syndrome. This meant that Lucy donated blood to Sage through a shared placenta. As a result, Lucy didn't have enough blood to grow and thrive and Sage had too much blood which put pressure on her heart. Luckily, we were aware of this very early in the pregnancy and we were able to closely monitor the girls through MRIs, echocardiograms (they were able to watch the valves of their hearts open and close when I was just 16 weeks pregnant!) and weekly ultrasounds. When I became preeclamptic at 28 weeks, I was admitted for hospital bedrest and we upped the surveillance to nearly constant fetal monitoring and daily ultrasounds. Two weeks later, I delivered a 3 pound, 4 ounce Sage (formerly known as "Button") and 1 pound, 15 ounce Lucy (formerly known as Snap). Sage spent the next 8 weeks in the NICU and Lucy was there 12.5 weeks. Today, they are very bouncy, verbal, silly, smart three year olds and Brian and I can't believe these big girls were ever that incomprehensibly small.

In no small part did our family directly benefit from March of Dimes funded research: 

• I was given steroid shots when admitted to the hospital at 28 weeks to accelerate the girls' lung development.
• The NICU administered surfactant directly to Lucy's lungs hours after birth which helped the lungs to expand.
• The girls were monitored for retinopathy of prematurity ("ROP") to confirm that their eyes fully vascularized after birth (Stevie Wonder is blind because of ROP). 
• Our RTs monitored the amount of oxygen given to the girls to minimize the risk of ROP.
• The girls were swaddled in fetal position with their hips tucked in to (1) mimic the womb; and (2) prevent hip dysplasia later.
• Physical and occupational therapists worked with us and the girls to give infant massage and stimulate their neurological development.
• We were encouraged to kangaroo with the girls (hold them skin to skin) to regulate their breathing, body temperature and to stimulate the bond between us and our little girls. 

In other words, we have the March of Dimes to thank for our warm and affectionate Snuggle Froggy (aka Sage) and Snuggle Kitty Cat (aka Lucy) who walk, jump, see and breathe on their own. Of course we support this organization! 

Meredith (our primary NICU nurse), Sage, Lucy and Erin (a recent addition to the army of NICU nurses)

We are asking that you join us in our support of the March of Dimes so that other families can share in these blessings. We would love for you to join our team either by marching with us this Saturday or by contributing to our fundraising effort. We appreciate your support of the March of Dimes, but mostly we have appreciated all of you walking with Brian and the girls (Jen will be volunteering but not walking this year) and supporting us every step of the way through the lives of our girls.