Our personal experience with March of Dimes:

With each prenatal check up I saw the influence of March of Dimes. There were articles in magazines, informative flyers and recommended screenings. The experience of preparing for William and Selena’s arrivals showed me some of the results March of Dimes has accomplished in prenatal education for doctors and patients and the research they support.

While William was a big boy intentionally induced 2 weeks early, Selena arrived 4 weeks early on her own. Thankfully with all the wonderful prenatal care I received our beautiful little premature baby girl was healthy and fully developed in spite of being underweight and very skinny. We were also very fortunate that she was fully caught up physically and developmentally by her nine month check up. Not every premature baby is as lucky.

Did you know that premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death in the first month of life? It affects half a million babies a year in the United States. Those who survive may have lifelong health problems. And premature births are on the rise -- up to 30% since 1981.

That is why I am asking you to support me in March of Dimes WalkAmerica. Because premature birth can happen to any pregnant woman. In nearly half the cases, the causes are unknown. The March of Dimes is leading the way to find answers by supporting research into the causes of premature birth. I am joining the fight, and so can you.

Your support helps fund:
-Research into stress and other factors that may trigger preterm labor.
-Programs to educate pregnant women to recognize the warning signs of preterm labor.
-Tools to help health care providers find better ways to detect women who may be at risk for preterm labor.

I'm accepting donations at http://www.walkamerica.org/Merrily

To learn more about the March of Dimes and our fight to save babies from birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality, please visit our website at www.marchofdimes.com/metrodc.