Hundreds to Gather in New Haven for Walk to Help All Babies Be Born Healthy

On Sunday, May 1st at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven, hundreds of families and business leaders will join together at March for Babies—the March of Dimes walk honoring babies born healthy and those who need help to survive and thrive. Funds raised help support prenatal wellness programs, research grants, neonatal intensive care unit family support programs and advocacy efforts for stronger, healthier babies.

Leading the festivities will be the event’s 2016 Ambassadors, Garrett and Rebecca Sullivan, along with their two-year old twins, Aaron and Ava. They will share their family’s prematurity journey, thank walkers for their commitment to the March of Dimes mission to give all babies a healthy start, and lead the walk with their team, “Ava and Aaron.” Since their first walk in 2014, their March for Babies team has raised nearly $6,000.

In early March of 2013, Garrett and Rebecca were looking forward to the late April birth of their twins. But when a self-check of her blood pressure showed an unusually high number, they went to Yale-New Haven Hospital assuming Rebecca would be examined and sent home to rest. Instead, she was diagnosed with severe sudden onset preeclampsia (a disorder that occurs only during pregnancy and the postpartum period, affects both the mother and the unborn baby and is characterized by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine). The decision to perform an emergency c-section came quickly. More than seven weeks too soon, Aaron was born weighing 4 lbs. 4 oz. and Ava weighed 4 lbs. 7.5 oz. They spent 17 and 19 days in the neonatal intensive care unit before finally coming home with their parents.

“After the twins arrived more than 7 weeks early, we realized the importance of raising awareness about prematurity, and that anyone can be affected by it. We hope that by sharing our story we will give a face to this unfortunate phenomena and bring positivity and hope to the families for whom life in the NICU has become a reality,” said Rebecca.

Each year in Connecticut more than 36,000 babies are born. 1 in 10 babies are born too soon, and 1 in 7 infant deaths is attributed to a birth defect, and nearly 200 babies die before reaching their first birthday. The mission of the March of Dimes is to prevent birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality through research, education, advocacy and community programs.

Families at March for Babies will enjoy activities such as carousel rides, refreshments, face painting, music and more. New Haven March for Babies is sponsored by Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, Sargent/Assa Abloy, NBC Connecticut, I Heart Radio, Connecticut Parent Magazine and Lamar Outdoor.

Lighthouse Point Park is located at 2 Lighthouse Point Road in New Haven. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the event at 10 a.m. To register visit marchforbabies.org/event/newhaven. Participants can also register on-site on May 1st. All walkers who raise $100 or more will receive an event t-shirt and those raising $250 or more will have the choice of a March of Dimes branded item (among other incentives as fundraising increases).

For more than 78 years, moms and babies have benefitted from March of Dimes research, education, vaccines and breakthroughs. Find out how you can help raise funds to prevent premature birth and birth defects by walking in March for Babies at marchforbabies.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. The 2016 March for Babies is sponsored nationally by the March of Dimes number one corporate supporter, Kmart, Famous Footwear, Macy’s, Cigna, United Airlines and Mission Pharmacal.