Kellie Powers

In the United States, about 380,000 babies are born prematurely each year. The preterm birth rate (the percent of babies born before 37 weeks each year) is 9.8 percent in the United States. This means 1 in 10 babies is born too soon. The U.S. preterm birth rate is among the worst of high-resource nations. Our family is unfortunately part of that statistic.

On March 8, 2018, I had my normal monthly ultrasound appointment at the South Shore Hospital. The week leading up to the appointment I didn't feel well. I had a low-grade fever and chills which the doctor thought was just a virus that needed to run its course. The morning of the 8th I woke up feeling worse than before with cramp-like feelings. I told the doctor at Maternal Fetal Medicine how I was feeling and after my ultrasound he sent me over to get a non-stress test at the triage center. By this point, the cramps were more than cramps and I was pretty sure I was having contractions. After being monitored and checked for a lot of other things, the doctor came in and realized I was 7 centimeters dilated and was in labor. I was 31 weeks pregnant at this point. They tried things to slow down my labor, gave me magnesium and one of the two needed steroid shots to help develop the girls' lungs in case they couldn't stop labor and around midnight decided my body wasn't going to stop progressing and the girls were going to be born that morning. 

At 3:54 am Peyton was born weighing 3 pounds 10 ounces and at 4:01 am Paige was born weighing 3 pounds 9 ounces. I got to see them quickly before they were both brought down to the NICU with Jeff. Quickly after they were born I developed postpartum hemorrhage. Later we learned that I had developed chorioamnionitis, an infection of the amniotic fluid and tissue that surround the baby, and Peyton's placenta had been affected by it. I spent two weeks in the hospital because of endometritis, an infection in my uterus, that they had difficulty treating and ended up having to have a D&C to remove the infection.

The girls spent a total of 39 and 42 days in the NICU. Peyton needed a nasal cannula to help her with her breathing, they both started in the isolettes to help them regulate their body temperature, they were on caffeine to help them with their spells when they forgot to breathe, they had feeding tubes because they weren't strong enough to take a bottle, they were under the bili lights to help them with their jaundice. But slowly they progressed, they moved into open-air cribs, they came off the caffeine and stopped having spells, they gained weight, had their first baths, learned how to take a bottle, and passed their car seat tests. The small victories eventually turned into Paige being discharged, followed by Peyton a few days later. 

Since Peyton and Paige's premature delivery I have been a strong supporter of March of Dimes. I never imagined that three years later, we would lose our son Luke due to another premature delivery. I was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday for contractions and a shortening cervix, and Luke was born via emergency classical caesarean section under anesthesia at 23 weeks & 6 days on Saturday morning. We had one entirely too short day with him and he passed away in our arms that evening after developing a severe brain bleed. 

After losing Luke we had a consult with the MFM team at Brigham who believed I have an incompetent cervix and recommended a transabdominal cerclage be placed before we get pregnant again. I had that surgery in February of 2023 we became pregnant again at the end of 2023. I was followed closely by the Brigham MFM team for this pregnancy and everything was going well until my water broke at 24 weeks in May. They admitted me to the hospital where I stayed until Jack was born. The transabdominal cerclage did its job of keeping my cervix closed. They were able to stop preterm labor twice and keep me pregnant for another 8 weeks despite my water continuing to leak for the rest of the pregnancy. On July 15, 2024 Jack was born and his NICU journey began. He was on CPAP, but within a few days showed how strong he was and came off. He then worked on feeding and growing until he was discharged 25 days later. I again had postpartum complications with an infection developing and ended up having to be readmitted to treat the infection.

We have been blessed to see the miracles that happen in the NICU with Peyton, Paige, and Jack and unfortunately experienced the worst of the worst outcomes of premature birth with the death of Luke. We know firsthand the maternal complications and risks that can accompany pregnancy and postpartum and that family building journeys can be complex and difficult.

In the year 2025 there is still so much to learn about premature birth and pregnancy complications. I am such a firm supporter of the March of Dimes because their mission is to provide moms and babies with the best start possible. They fund research into preterm birth that hopefully will help someone like me not have to go through the loss and heartache I have experienced. I would give anything for Luke to still be here with us, but that is not our reality. And even though Luke's life on this earth was far too short, he matters. I believe that by raising funds for the March of Dimes I am able to honor Luke. I believe he would want us to fight for babies like him and families like ours.

March of Dimes leads the fight for healthy moms and healthy babies. They support moms throughout their pregnancy, even when everything doesn’t go according to plan. They advocate for policies that prioritize moms health. They support radical improvements to the care moms receive. And they pioneer research to find solutions to the biggest health threats to moms and babies. They educate medical professionals and the public about best practices; they support lifesaving research; they provide comfort and support to families in NICUs; and they advocate for those who need them most, moms and babies.

The funds I raise enable March of Dimes to support research, lead programs and provide education and advocacy that truly makes a difference to families in our community and across the country. If you believe, like I do, that every baby deserves the best possible start, please march with me or make a donation to support this community effort. Together we can fight for the health of all moms and babies.