How March of Dimes is stepping up to help military moms-to-be through COVID and beyond.
By Kait Hanson
Being far away from friends and family during birthdays, holidays, and celebrations, like the birth of a new baby, can be a struggle for even the most seasoned military families. Throw in a global pandemic and it’s a recipe for chaos and unpredictability.
What is supposed to be one of the most joyous seasons in life instantly evaporates as visions of baby showers and family coming to town seem like impossibilities.
Hannah Kimmick, a kindergarten teacher and Air National Guard spouse in Pittsburgh, knows this reality all too well. Kimmick was pregnant and gave birth to her second child, a son, Everson, in August 2020, amidst the pandemic.
Thankfully, a familiar nonprofit was there to help Kimmick and her family ease the transition.
“The March of Dimes was there for me when my water broke at 32 weeks with my daughter Everly. She was born at 34 weeks premature,” the newly minted mom-of-two shared with Military Spouse. “While my daughter was in the NICU, the Pittsburgh March of Dimes was always available when I had any questions or needed support. During my pregnancy and while my daughter was in the NICU I was able to use the March of Dimes “My NICU Baby®” App to track my [her] progress. The information provided from the app gave me useful information to help me deal with what I was going through with my pregnancy and being a first-time parent with a child in the NICU. While pregnant with my son Everson, I was able to receive weekly shots that were developed by researchers due to the funds raised by March of Dimes to help make my son stay in as long as possible during my pregnancy. I am happy to say that due to my shots, my son Everson was able to stay in longer and was born healthy at 36 weeks.”
March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit fighting for the health of all moms and babies.
“We began that fight more than 80 years ago as an organization dedicated to eradicating polio in the United States, a goal that we achieved,” Christine Sanchez, March of Dimes’ director of communications, shared with Military Spouse. “We followed that by establishing genetic research centers, birth defect registries and elevating the ‘Apgar Score,’ the gold standard of newborn health. From there, we focused our efforts on perinatal health and the risks associated with drinking and smoking during pregnancy. Today, we continue the fight to address some of the biggest threats to moms and babies — such as preterm birth and maternal and infant mortality — through research, education, programs and advocacy. We’re also committed to closing the health equity gap for moms and babies regardless of wealth, race, or geography.”
While March of Dimes advocates for the health of all moms and babies, the organization has engaged military families by hosting military baby showers, known as Mission: Healthy Baby, for the past 12 years.
“While pregnancy can be an exciting time for many moms and moms-to-be, it can also be very stressful for women who are separated from family and friends,” said Meredith Repik, director of strategic volunteer partnerships at March of Dimes. “We recognize that being a pregnant military serviceperson or the expecting partner of a serviceperson can cause extra stress, which isn’t good for mom or baby. We started hosting showers to provide families comfort and support, and typically host 50 moms at each shower. Our longstanding sponsor Philips provides essential items for moms to welcome their newborns into the world. We also play games, provide refreshments and gifts to the moms in a fun and festive atmosphere. Since the program began, we have showered over 5,000 moms on over 50 military bases across the country.”
When the impact of the novel coronavirus began reverberating across the country, March of Dimes leaders knew they would need to pivot their strategy.
“The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching and wide, especially for pregnant women who are navigating the challenges of delivering their babies during this health emergency,” Repik said. “Since we’re currently unable to hold in-person events, we virtualized our showers to provide moms the items they need and to help spread joy in their lives before their baby arrives.”
Kimmick was able to participate in a virtual shower with other moms, which helped her to feel not so alone.
“The March of Dimes Virtual Shower was a great distraction from the pandemic to celebrate my pregnancy,” Kimmick shared. “When my husband was unable to attend my doctors’ appointments and when a quarantine did not allow for gatherings, this was a nice way to feel honored and that others are going through the same life experiences I am at this time being pregnant and having a husband in the military. I felt connected to the other moms at the shower and felt that I was not alone because they were also dealing with being pregnant and not having your spouse there during doctor visits and sonograms. The March of Dimes created an environment that we moms could have a moment of togetherness and peace.”
March of Dimes’ virtual shower experience is approximately one hour long and includes videos from leadership and sponsors, as well as health education materials for expectant moms and partners.
“We provide information on birth spacing, signs of preterm labor and even have an easy-to-use birth plan for the moms to reference before delivering their baby,” Repik explained. “We have worked hard to make these virtual showers engaging with raffle drawings, interactive polls and encouraging moms to use the chat feature to make the time together fun. We knew that there was a need in the military community to continue these events during the pandemic and are pleased with the positive feedback we’ve received so far. We may even be able to engage more women since the showers are virtual. By the end of this year, we will host 20 virtual baby showers on bases across the country. We have even had one mom join in while she was at the hospital in labor!”
Kimmick shared insight from both of her virtual shower experiences.
“While pregnant with my daughter, Everly, I was able to attend the March of Dimes Shower at the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Pittsburgh and had received many generous donations to help to get ready for being a first-time mom,” Kimmick said. “Having received all of the generous donations at the shower, I was able to not stress over what I needed for my daughter when she had decided to come way earlier than expected. With my son, Everson, I was fortunate to have a day of fun at the virtual baby shower and celebrate during this crazy time while getting information and receiving generous donations to help with my new addition to my family. March of Dimes is an asset to military moms and families because it provides necessary information and items that military members may not be able to provide for their families. It is also a way to celebrate military moms who may not have their significant others home during this exciting time due to deployments.”
In addition to hosting virtual baby showers, March of Dimes has also worked to provide families with the information, services and resources they need to navigate their health during this crisis.
“One of the first things we did was establish the Mom and Baby COVID-19 Intervention and Support Fund to help protect moms and babies from the new coronavirus disease and raise and distribute resources to families in need such as face masks, breast pumps and diapers,” Sanchez said. “The fund also aims to ensure a vaccine is developed with moms and babies top of mind and it is distributed so everyone across our country has access.”
Further, the organization launched a live webinar series on Facebook, providing up-to-date information on COVID-19 and its impact on the health of moms and babies, and the My NICU Baby® app provides information about COVID-19 relevant to families with a child in the NICU.
“This includes videos on infection control and parent self-care, as well as how to support siblings and options to connect with other NICU families,” Sanchez explained. “We want to make sure families who have a child in the NICU are supported, now more than ever, as well as ensure expectant parents have the social support they need through our Supportive Pregnancy Care program, which we’ve also virtualized.”
The nonprofit has also transformed its biggest fundraiser March For Babies, an event that typically gathers families and individuals to walk and raise funds, into a virtual format, allowing them to raise critical funds for families.
“Mission: Healthy Baby is our largest military program, however, we have bases across the country that participate in our annual March for Babies events from volunteering to fundraising and these provide a perfect opportunity for moms to rally together for a common goal: ensuring every mom and baby get the best possible start,” Sanchez said.
Working every single day for better health for moms and babies, March of Dimes has no plans of slowing down this fall.
“We are continuing to bring communities together virtually through fundraising events such as Signature Chefs Feeding Motherhood, advocating for key legislative priorities and spotlighting our mission throughout the month of November, which is National Prematurity Awareness Month,” Sanchez shared.
Through every uncertain curve coronavirus has thrown their way, March of Dimes remains committed to serving families and is looking toward the future.
“The pandemic has taught us that our new normal means engaging our families and supporters virtually,” Sanchez said. “We’re pleased that so many families have participated in our virtual baby showers and tell us that the experience has been a positive one. We’re committed to supporting them, especially in the midst of a pandemic, and are planning how best to engage them next year.”
For the Kimmick family, March of Dimes’ dedication does not go unnoticed.
“I am grateful for the work the March of Dimes does each and every day and the impact that they have made in my life and the lives of my family,” Hannah Kimmick said. “I hope one day all babies have a healthy start due to the work of the March of Dimes.”
