Today, my daughter, Lainey Bertram is a giggly and busy 4 year old. Looking at the healthy, 40 lb toddler you′d never know she started out life at a petite 4 lbs 6 oz.

I developed pre-eclampsia at 32 weeks and was given two steroid injections to help quickly develop Lainey′s lungs. Lainey was born at 33 weeks via c-section. She was tiny, but feisty and a fighter. She never needed help to breath and just received supplemental oxygen for the first two days of her life. She spent 3 weeks and 6 days at the St. Joe′s NICU and came home on an apnea monitor. Other than being on the short side of the growth chart, you′d never know she started out life earlier than expected.

Lainey is living proof of all the good the March of Dimes does.

Team Lainey will be walking on Sunday, April 27th at Hudson Mills Metro Park in Dexter. All of the money raised will be donated to the March of Dimes in Lainey′s name. Please consider sponsoring a member of our team.

Today in the U.S., 1 in every 8 babies will be born prematurely. Some of them won't survive, and others will have health problems that could last a lifetime. The funds we raise in WalkAmerica support research that saves babies' lives.

The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.