A Difficult Start to an Incredible Life

Each milestone that a baby hits in his development is cause for celebration. For thousands of children born prematurely, who spend the first few weeks – even months – of their lives in the NICU, every smile, every step, every word is more than a milestone, it’s a miracle.

As Andrew Konopka gears up for preschool each morning, it’s hard to imagine this bright, active little boy was born at 23 weeks weighing only 1 ½ pounds. Yet, Andrew is thriving thanks in part to the Greater Missouri March of Dimes, whose advocacy and research helped build him a strong foundation for his success today.

Said his mother, Anne Konopka, “The March of Dimes not only helps babies have a chance at life, but a chance at the best outcomes possible.”

The days in the NICU
There is a stereotype that some people have of premature birth – that it happens only with multiples or to those who smoke and drink during pregnancy. But premature birth can happen to anyone.

Many women take excellent care of themselves only to see their pregnancies end suddenly and devastatingly. His mother’s ruptured appendix at 21 weeks and subsequent signs of infection preceded Andrew’s early delivery. For three and a half months, Andrew remained in the Mercy Children’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit – a time both surreal and frightening for his parents, Anne and Steve Konopka of Webster Groves.

Explained Anne Konopka, “There is overwhelming fear and devastation at the unnaturalness of it all…it is not how things are supposed to go…and total heartbreak at the unfairness of it all – that your child should have to go through this, and that you, yourself, were deprived of the normal birth experience.”

Each day, the Konopkas were caught in a whirlwind, where the situation could go from good to bad in minutes. A successful surgery turned terrifying as the Konopkas watched Andrew’s doctors race back to the OR to help their son breathe. They felt the ache as they watched other families take home their babies when their own child was so critically ill.

Yet, in the midst of it all, the Konopkas found hope. Hope in the dedicated medical staff, including nurses who went above and beyond the call of duty.

Hope in the moments of kangaroo care, when the Konopkas could hold Andrew to their chests, the skin-to-skin contact helping to stabilize the infant’s heart rate and to promote critical family bonding.

And hope in medical advancements made possible by the March of Dimes, such as surfactant therapy, which has reduced infant deaths due to respiratory distress syndrome by over two-thirds since the 1980’s.

Since its founding in 1938, the March of Dimes has saved thousands of newborns around the nation and right here in Missouri.

According to Mark Schwartz, state director of program services, the organization has helped the overall prematurity birth rate in Missouri drop from 13.3% in 200 to 12.3% in 2008.

Remarked Schwartz, “Overall, the success in reducing the prematurity rate has to do with better education of parents, better access to care, and more visits to the doctor during pregnancy.”

A recent accomplishment is the screening of newborns for 29 genetic and chronic conditions, up from the standard five, to identify life-threatening illnesses sooner.

And in 2011, the March of Dimes played a key role in Governor Jay Nixon signing into law the new Missouri Task Force on Prematurity and Infant Mortality, which will seek evidence-based practices to save lives of Missouri infants.

Four years of remarkable milestones
Ten days shy of his due date, Andrew was able to come home. Just as they had in the hospital, Andrew and his parents had an incredible team behind them to help the little boy flourish, beginning with First Steps early intervention and continuing with physical, occupational and speech therapy at preschool.

Regarding Andrew today, his mother stated, “He is very bright and his memory is incredible. He is doing well in his school program, and we have very high hopes for his future.”

For the Konopkas, this remarkable and inspiring journey from incubator to preschool is due in large part to the March of Dimes.

With Prematurity Awareness Month coming up in November, it’s more important than ever to learn how its research, education and advocacy efforts continue to save lives.

“For us, the March of Dimes meant that despite the odds stacked against him, Andrew had a fighting chance; and we are so grateful to them for allowing him, and us as a family, to have that chance.”  

By Nicole Plegge, lifestyle blogger for SmartParenting

This story also appears in the Fall/Winter issue of St. Louis Kids Magazine