Healthy babies
Families of premature babies find support through March of Dimes program at Woman’s Hospital
March of Dimes offers support for families with babies in NICU at Woman’s Hospital of Texas.
Clarissa Giddings’ favorite part of the day is holding her 2-weekold son, Grayson.
The 43-year-old high school principal cradles him tightly against her chest as she eases into a lounge chair at The Woman’s Hospital of Texas near the Texas Medical Center. The skin-to-skin contact is important for all babies, but especially for premature ones like Grayson, who was born at the hospital three months early and weighed just over 3 pounds. Studies show the gentle touch helps improve brain development of premature infants in neonatal intensive care units, according to an article in Pyschology Today.
“I try to be here at every moment,” said Giddings, who visits the hospital daily. “I’m so grateful he made it. It’s been so hard, but he’s my little soldier.”
Grayson is one of some 2,600 premature babies born in one of the hospital’s four neonatal ICUs. His family is also among the more than 90,000 families who benefit from the March of Dimes NICU Family Support program that’s offered in 120 NICUs across the country.
At The Woman’s Hospital, the program is the largest in the nation with 1,200 families. It is also the only one in the U.S. to have a full-time March of Dimes employee who works at the hospital to support families with babies in the NICU at no additional charge to the family. March of Dimes was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938 as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis to combat polio. It was coined “March of Dimes,” and after the polio vaccine was created, the organization expanded its focus to the prevention of birth defects and infant mortality.
“It’s an added layer of support,” said Angela Martinez, the program’s support specialist at the hospital. “We meet with families to help get them oriented and understand their role in having a baby in the NICU. It can be scary, so we’re here to help educate and support them through this.”
Martinez helps care for the well-being of the families, just as the physicians and nurses are focused on the health of the premature babies.
Now in its 10th year, the program offers families educational materials in English and Spanish, including a guide for parenting in the NICU and other information to help extended families. There are a variety of workshops led by experts in everything from skinto-skin care to dealing with crisis. The program also helps the hospital develop ways to improve the NICU experience for families.
“It’s is a true resource for our NICU families,” said Ashley McClelland, The Woman’s Hospital CEO. “The program provides education and resources for parents to help them navigate their stay in the NICU and life with a preemie.”
The March of Dimes’ partnership with The Woman’s Hospital is also significant given that the hospital leads the state, delivering 11,000 babies a year, and sponsors the March of Dimes’ March for Babies, which began as a charitable walking event in 1970 and now has more than 8 million participants each year.
Giddings spends most days holding Grayson while he sleeps or reading Dr. Seuss’ “ABC Amazing Alphabet Book” while he rests in Giraffe OmniBed, which hospital staff considered the “Bentley” of NICU beds.
“He’s certainly a little miracle,” she said.