MARCH FOR BABIES: A MOTHER OF A MOVEMENT™
Central/Southern West Virginia
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State Capitol Complex
1900 Kanawha Boulevard , Charleston, WV 25304
Date: Saturday, April 30, 2016 10:00 AM
1900 Kanawha Boulevard , Charleston, WV 25304
Date: Saturday, April 30, 2016 10:00 AM
Our ambassador
Emma Marie Long
Emma Marie Long
Emma Marie Long was expected to make her arrival on September 21, 2014, but God had other plans for us. The pregnancy was moving along smoothly, aside from severe morning sickness. This was our fourth child so we thought we knew exactly what to expect. On my 36 week check-up things suddenly changed. My blood pressure was very high, and my breathing was extremely labored. I felt a few contractions, but nothing serious. My Doctor wanted me to go straight to the hospital “just to get checked out." I didn’t even go home to get my bag or camera because I knew they were just going to send me home. After all I knew it wasn’t time for our baby girl, she still needed a few more weeks to grow.
After a couple hours of being monitored, my blood pressure was still very high and I still couldn’t breathe. The doctor told us that we were going to have a baby within the hour. That’s when the fear and anxiety set in. They rolled me into the delivery room and prepared me for a C-section. I got to see my beautiful baby girl and kiss her head before the nurses said they needed to take her for closer monitoring.
The next hours went by very slowly, asking each nurse how is my baby? They each replied “She is being monitored very closely”. We had so many questions. Why is this taking so long? Is she OK? That is all they could tell us. Five hours after she was born Dr. Maxwell came in our room and told us he had to take Emma to the NICU because she was having a lot of problems breathing. Her lungs were not mature enough to breathe consistently on their own. I was wheeled over to the NICU and was completely shocked and heartbroken at the sight of my little one. Three previous children did not prepare me for this. She was hooked up to so many machines, an IV in her head, and a C pap apparatus. We were told to be very quiet and only touch her on her hands through the holes in the side of her bed, she could not be held. The feeling of helplessness was over whelming, but we put our trust in God, Dr. Maxwell and the nurses at CAMC. We spent many hours by her beside crying and praying and eventually we were able to hold her and feed her. The little things that you take for granted with a healthy baby were awesome milestones with a NICU baby. Over the next few days she had ups and downs, but made progress each time we saw her. She began to breathe better on her own and showed signs of improvement. The special touches that the March of Dimes supports in the NICU like the blankets, the crochet hats and diaper covers and the small gifts we received reminded us that not only are we wanting the best possible outcome for our little girl, but they do too.
We feel very blessed that Emma got to come home after only being in the NICU for a short stay. Today she shows no signs of slowing down and you would never know she had to fight that first week of life. We feel honored to be chosen as the 2016 March of Dimes Ambassador Family and look forward to supporting the March for Babies walk.
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