WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., MAY 14, 2006 – Denise Rock spent her first Mother's Day planning for the baby growing inside her.
On her second Mother's Day, she mourned the loss of her newborn son.
“I did not physically think I could live through the day,” said Ms. Rock. “I was alone. No baby to hold, nothing to celebrate.”
This Mother's Day, the March of Dimes celebrates mothers such as Ms. Rock and others who, despite their own losses, persevere and work to save other babies from premature birth. Premature birth is defined as birth at less than 37 completed weeks of gestation.
At the time of her son's death, Ms. Rock, who went on to have two baby girls who survived -- both of whom were born prematurely -- said she didn't feel like a mother.
Her son Phillip Hunter was born August 6, 2001 at 25.2 weeks gestation. He lived only 36 hours. Mrs. Rock held him only once. Then, she and her husband made the decision to let him go.
“Once you are pregnant and give birth, you are a mother, no matter what the outcome of that birth is,” Ms. Rock said she finally came to understand. Losing a child, she said, “does not make you any less a mother.”
Ms. Rock, who lives in Kansas with her husband, Charlie, went on to give birth to Leighton Renna in 2002, 10 weeks early, and to Emerson Nicole, who was born in 2005, seven weeks too soon.
Unfortunately, each year, nearly a half million mothers experience the trauma of giving birth to a premature baby. The premature birth rate has jumped more than 30 percent since 1983.
Premature birth is the leading cause of death in newborns. More than 28,000 babies do not live to see their first birthday each year. Babies who do survive face risks of lifelong challenges of cerebral palsy, mental retardation, chronic lung disease, and vision and hearing loss as well as other developmental problems.
This year, Ms. Rock has been a resource for other mothers who have had premature babies or who have lost an infant. She helped host a live chat on the March of Dimes Share your Story Web site (shareyourstory.org), a virtual support group for parents of babies who are premature or born with birth defects.
Ms. Rock said she and her family joined the March of Dimes to “'work together to combat the serious and growing problem of prematurity and ensure that no baby is born too small, too soon or too sick – like Phillip.”
To speak with a mother in your area who has been an inspiration to others in the fight against prematurity, contact your local chapter of the March of Dimes (listed in the white pages of the telephone directory and on marchofdimes.com).
