The Coit Family have a special connection with the Massachusetts March of Dimes. Heather Coit is the March of Dimes NICU Family Support Specialist at Tufts Floating Hospital for Children. Her husband, Patrick, serves as a member on the March of Dimes Board of Directors for the Lowell area. We are very grateful for their work with the March of Dimes.
On February 2nd 2005 I finally went into labor after almost a week past my due date. My husband Patrick and I were very excited to finally see our little baby. After about 18 hours of labor and making very slow progress the doctor decided to break my water. The fluid showed meconium so an internal fetal monitor was placed to monitor our baby’s heart rate. We were nervous but were told not to worry and everything should be fine. After 12 more hours of labor and two hours of pushing on February 3rd at 6:15 am our little daughter Isabelle was born. A team from the special care nursery was present for the birth as a precaution because of the meconium in the amniotic fluid. After Isabelle was born we were only able to see our little girl for a few moments before they took her away to the special care nursery to assess her condition. Isabelle spent 24 hours in the special care nursery when the neonatologist told us Isabelle would need to be transported to the NICU at the Floating Hospital for Children in Boston. I was not able to be discharged from the hospital until almost eight o’clock that same night. We planned to go home to get some sleep before we went into Boston to see Isabelle. Shorty after we were home we got a call from the NICU telling us that we needed to get there as soon as possible; Isabelle had three holes in her lungs and was in critical condition. The ride was a blur. When we got to the NICU we were told Isabelle was given drugs to sedate and paralyze her. She was hooked up to so many machines and had many tubes and wires on her, it was terrifying. Once we got over the shock of what was happening to Isabelle, we had a million questions. The staff was great at explaining the ventilators, chest tubes, monitors and all of the medications. After nine days I was able to hold Isabelle for the first time. She went from the sickest baby in the NICU to be able to eat in 10 days. We were told to plan on Isabelle being in the NICU for as much as a month, but after only 16 days she came home.
If it weren't for the March of Dimes, Isabelle’s story would have been different. Through the years, the March of Dimes have funded research that has saved so many babies like Isabelle , and helped many families. We walk knowing that the money we raise will go to research that will save babies' lives and help families in the future.
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