Five nurses to receive the outstanding nurse recognition award at the 30th Annual March of Dimes "Perinatal Conference".
15-Mar-05 |
Chicago-Like many other parents, Laura and Joseph Fry of Lockport were looking forward to the birth of their first child. Laura's pregnancy was normal at the beginning, but that soon changed. Laura gave birth to daughter Emma at just 23 weeks gestation. The Frys have been named by the March of Dimes as the 2005 Ambassador Family at the South Suburban site of WalkAmerica.
During her pregnancy, Laura was carefully being monitored because it was discovered that she had a heart shaped uterus. This is a concern because it can restrict the room that the baby has to grow, but at the beginning Emma was growing properly. In late March, Laura went for a scheduled ultrasound. Her vitals were taken and her blood pressure registered very high. Two days later Laura was admitted to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn where she remained on bed rest for ten days. Emma was delivered via emergency cesarean section on April 6, 2004. Laura had severe preeclampsia, a condition causing high blood pressure and protein to be present in the urine, that affects both the mother and the unborn baby. Emma weighed only 14 oz. and was 11 and 1/2 inches long. At only 23 weeks gestation, Emma was only given a five-percent chance of survival. From the beginning, many things were not going in Emma's favor. She had small, immature lungs, and a high risk of brain bleeds. She was immediately given surfactant and placed on a ventilator, which she remained on for seven weeks. She then graduated to a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and finally a nasal cannula. Emma faced many common "preemie" problems. She had anemia, apnea, and Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). This occurs when abnormal vessels grow in the retina. Emma was treated with surgery. Fortunately, she did not have any brain bleeds that her parents were warned about.
From day one Laura and Joseph knew Emma was determined to beat the odds. There were good days and bad days. Every time that Laura and Joseph visited Emma, they knew that they were one day closer to her homecoming. She continued to gain weight and was discharged on July 13, 2004 after 99 days in the NICU, weighing 4 lbs. 6 oz. Today Emma is making great strides. She is catching up to the milestones of her age, and even ahead in other areas. She receives occupational and physical therapy once a week. She is carefully followed by a number of doctors, and still faces some reconstructive surgery on her ear. Each day Emma continues to amaze her parents and doctors with her progress and her strong will to do well. For someone who was given a five-percent chance of survival, she is taking full advantage,
There is no known cause for 50% of the babies who are born too soon. Each year more than 480,000 babies are born prematurely in the United States. That's why, in 2003, the March of Dimes launched a nationwide $75 million prematurity campaign to raise public awareness about the problem and help fund research and education to decrease the rate of preterm birth.
The funds raised from WalkAmerica will be used to help support research and education for this new Prematurity Campaign. There are six Walk sites in the Chicagoland area. For Walk locations and to find out how to participate in WalkAmerica, please call the March of Dimes at 1-800-244 -WALK or online at www.walkamerica.org.
The March of Dimes WalkAmerica has raised more than $1 billion for healthy babies since it began in 1970. Ninety-two cents of every dollar raised in Illinois goes into community service, advocacy, research and education programs to help all babies have a healthy start in life. The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a five-year campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth.
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