By Jamie O’Toole
Twenty-seven weeks into a pregnancy, most babies weigh between two and three pounds and are only about a foot long. While the child has started to wake and sleep at regular intervals and open and close its eyes, the brain and lungs are still in the process of fully developing and the small body still has a significant amount of growing left to do. For most mothers, this marks the beginning of the third trimester with 12 to 13 weeks left before they get to experience the joy of holding their tiny child in their arms for the first time. For Misty Johnson, that was not the case.
After a hefty sneeze that caused her water to break, Misty was admitted to the College Station Medical Center giving birth to 13-week premature Daven Johnson. After Misty’s cesarean section, Daven was immediately rushed away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, leaving Misty without the satisfaction of holding her baby for the first time or even the assurance that he was going to survive.
Eight long weeks later, Misty and her husband Stephen Johnson were able to take little Daven home, but the time spent in the NICU left a lasting impression on the family.
Three College Station hospitals have NICUs. St. Joseph Regional Health Center and the College Station Hospital at Scott & White both offer level two care, and The Med offers level three, the highest level of care. Before January, there were no programs to help the families of preemie infants navigate the time spent in the NICU and the challenges faced once home.
The Med celebrated Daven’s fourth birthday and a new partnership with the March of Dimes on March 6. The
hospital purchased the March of Dimes Family Support program, which is now offered to every family using the NICU. A national program written by the organization, March of Dimes Family Support was designed to inform and equip parents as they make their journey through the NICU and the transition of returning home.
The Med has fully incorporated the program. March of Dimes Director Katy Scott says the staff is thrilled to have the resources provided by the program and find it helpful in comforting preemie infants’ parents.
“As a mom in crisis, you don’t understand medical terms,” explains Scott, recounting her first time in a NICU. “And once you get home, all of the important milestones for premature babies are different.” She says after having two children prematurely, her personal experience was what drove her to get involved with the March of Dimes.
Dedicated to improving the health of babies, the March of Dimes is an organization that aims to prevent birth defects, infant mortality, and premature birth through education, research, community service, and advocacy.
On Sunday, April 27, the Med is sponsoring March for Babies, which will be held in conjunction with Texas A&M University’s Corp of Cadets’ March to the Brazos, an 18-mile march to raise money and awareness for the March of Dimes. The March for Babies is one of two annual fundraisers held by the March of Dimes and will consist of a family carnival and walk focusing on the celebration of babies and mothers. The March for Babies will be held at 12 noon in Research Park, College Station.
Daven is now a big brother to three-year-old Kamryn Johnson, and the family of four will attend the March as Team Daven. “I would have never dreamed my son would be where he is today looking at him four years ago,” says Misty, “but that’s why this is so important.” Already having raised more than $1200, she says her family wants to do its part to help more babies have a healthy start.
