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acdougla

Every mom-to-be is excited to have a healthy baby, but it does not always turn out this way. Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.  

My Name is Amanda Douglas and I am a mother of a beautiful 7 month old baby boy. Little did I know, on September 20, 2011 my life would be drastically changed forever. On this day, I was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, a condition in which my body began attacking itself, and had to have an emergency C-section to give birth to my son 10 weeks early.  Chase Christopher Douglas was born 3lb 7oz and 17 inches long.  He was immediately rushed into the hands of the NICU nurses, where they quickly placed in a ventilator in order to allow my sweet baby boy to breathe.  I did not even have an opportunity to hold or see my baby as he was rushed away to the NICU.

The next day, I finally had the opportunity to meet my baby.  I still get goose bumps thinking about the first time I entered the NICU and approached Chase.  He was bruised from head to toe and I could hardly see his tiny body from the tubes and cords coming in and out of all areas of his body.  My heart was shattered as I looked at him and knew that there was absolutely nothing I could do to make him better. I did not even get the chance to hold him for over a week. It was a cycle of up and downs for the 2 months Chase was in the NICU. He got down to a tiny 2lb 15oz and we watched every night as he gradually worked his way up to 6 pounds on the day he came home after his 2 month stay in the NICU. I watched him as he slowly learned to breathe on his own and learned to eat out of a bottle instead of a tube down his throat. It made me realize that this little tiny boy was such a hard working miracle.

Being a NICU parent changes your life so drastically.  Life in the NICU is a roller coaster ride. The pain of leaving and going home without your baby is indescribable.  I remember dreading my phone ringing in fears that it was bad news from the NICU.  It?s the little things in the NICU that make you excited, such as your baby gaining just an ounce or two here and there or your baby moving from one breathing assistant equipment to the next.  Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. Our team is walking in March for Babies because we want to do something about this. The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.  We are looking for team members to join our team, September Miracles, and also seeking tax deductible donations and sponsorship in this walk. For more information, to join our team, or to make a donation, you can visit https://www.marchforbabies.com/acdougla. Your support would truly be amazing.

 Please take a moment to watch my son's story and our experience of having a premature baby (Please feel free to share this video).

https://youtu.be/9DeJQlCLY0s

 

Thank you so much,

Amanda Douglas

acdougla86@gmail.com

https://www.marchforbabies.org/acdougla