Barrow Family I was considered an advanced maternal age (AMA) patient, but had an overall healthy pregnancy for the most part. The week leading up to Livi’s birth, I had some cramping and normal pregnancy symptoms. According to the nurses at our OB’s office, everything was fine and I didn’t need to worry. However, our sweet baby girl was born at 24 weeks and 1 day gestation via emergency C-section due to being footling breech after Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM) and our lives were forever changed. Everything happened so quickly when we arrived at the hospital, so there was no time for me to get any steroids on board to help with Livi’s lungs. The first time I saw Livi, I thought she looked like a feisty little alien. Here she was this tiny, red and wrinkly little thing in a plastic bed with so much going on that it was hard to keep it all straight. She weighed 1lb 6oz at birth. Livi had Respiratory Distress Syndrome as well as Broncho Pulmonary Dysplasia, so her lungs were her biggest challenge. At one point, Livi was on HFOV (high frequency oscillating ventilator) and the Neonatologist told us there was nothing more they could do for our baby. We continued to pray and Livi continued to fight. After seven and a half weeks, she was able to come off the vent. She still weighed less than 3 pounds. Livi remained in the NICU for another 75 days. She endured 17 blood transfusions in total and like many micro-preemies, she had many challenges to overcome such as infections, retinal and kidney development. But after 121 days at Northwest as a NICU resident, Livi was discharged home with a monitor and on oxygen. Livi was finally free of most of the tubes and wires. We could finally hold her any time we wanted to. We could finally be a family. Livi is now an almost eight-year-old second grader and a healthy little girl. We have been involved with the March of Dimes March for Babies since 2014 because we want to help spread prematurity awareness. Before we had Livi, we knew absolutely nothing about prematurity. Having a micro-preemie opened our eyes to the need for more research and awareness and we want to be a part of that. We are honored to have been chosen as the Amarillo March for Babies Ambassador family.