Brookfield Family's Story Highlights Importance Of March For Babies Event This Month

MILWAUKEE, Wis., April 16, 2013 – More than 1,500 people are expected to walk in this year’s March for Babies event on Saturday, April 27th at O’Donnell Park in downtown Milwaukee. March for Babies is the largest annual fundraising event for the March of Dimes, which celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2013. Last year, the Milwaukee-area March for Babies campaign raised nearly $300,000; this year’s goal is to exceed $400,000.

One of this year’s Ambassador Families is thankful for March of Dimes research that dramatically improved their twins outcomes while still in the hospital. Brookfield residents Amy and Mike Groth will be walking on Saturday with their boys Kellan and Logan.

On Feb. 5, 2011, Amy gave birth to twin boys ten weeks early at Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee. Kellan Jesse Groth was born at 6:45 a.m., weighing 3 lbs, 6 oz and measuring 15 3/4" long. Two minutes later, his brother, Logan Henry, was born weighing 3 lbs, 2 oz and 16 1/4" long. The boys would need to spend seven more weeks in the NICU before they could go home.  

Just a few weeks earlier, when Amy, a teacher with the Brown Deer School District, was just 23 weeks pregnant, she was put on bed rest after a series of complications. At 26 weeks, she was given a dose of steroids to help the baby’s lungs develop. Just two weeks after that, she began to have contractions. She was put on a magnesium drip and administered penicillin in case she delivered. That week, her doctor administered a second dose of steroids - he had just read new research that indicated if she received a second dose of steroids that day, the chances of the babies needing to be intubated for breathing or to receive surfactant therapy decreased dramatically. (Surfactant is a protein that keeps small air sacs in the lungs from collapsing. March of Dimes grantees helped develop surfactant therapy, which was introduced in 1990.) 

“While in the NICU, the boys were given breathing treatments, but neither needed to be intubated or given surfactant,” said Amy. “We are eternally grateful for the research that lead to medical advancements that allowed our boys to have their best chance at a healthy life. Because of our experience, we know how the March of Dimes research and programming literally changes lives, right here in Wisconsin. The nurses, doctors and family support specialist from March of Dimes were all very supportive, informative and got us as involved with our children as much as we could be.”

Southeast Wisconsin residents can sign up today at www.marchforbabies.org and start a team with co-workers, family and friends. There are 16 walks around the state of Wisconsin.

About the March of Dimes

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. More than 4 million babies are born in the United States each year and the March of Dimes has helped each and every one of them through research, education, vaccines and breakthroughs. In Milwaukee, one in nine babies is born prematurely.

For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The 2013 March for Babies is sponsored nationally by the March of Dimes number one corporate supporter Kmart, Farmers Insurance Group, Macy’s, Cigna, Sanofi Pasteur, Famous Footwear, Actavis, Mission Pharmacal, and United Airlines.