Milestone Moment: Celebrating My Baby’s First Laugh

milestonemomentsfeatured

My #BabysFirst Laugh Made My World More Beautiful

As the mother of an infant, I live in a world of firsts; first cry, first hug, first cuddle, first smile. It’s all these tiny little micro-moments, these little snippets in time that mean the most in the lives of parents. Today I’m partnering with the March of Dimes by taking a moment to stop and appreciate my very favorite first in the life of my youngest daughter, Ryleigh.

I also want to bring a little awareness to those parents in the NICU who are helping their children fight for their first milestone moments and for all those families who may not have the opportunity to see their baby have special first moments.

milestonemoments1

Bringing my sweet baby Ryleigh into the world came with a special set of challenges that each of us had to overcome. During the majority of my pregnancy I experienced severe Hyperemesis Gravidarum which forced me to endure endless medical tests (bloodwork, x-rays, GI scopes and more), esophageal holes and bleeding, Zofran pumps, PICC lines, and a total 50 pound weight loss within the first 4 months of pregnancy, in addition to a slew of other complications. As a result of this condition, and my inability to take in enough nutrients, Ryleigh was born at 37 weeks gestation weighing only 4lbs due to her having IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction).

I consider myself to be very blessed that on the day of her birth the most amazing team of doctors and specialists were there to help me welcome my baby girl. Despite all the chaos in the delivery room that day, I have the most vivid memory of a lovely NICU nurse standing at the side of my doctor, ready to lend a hand and help my baby should she need it. Luckily, Ryleigh was born tiny but mighty and needed no medical intervention after birth with the exception of a little time spent under the warming lamp to help her nearly fat-free body come up to the proper temperature.

The days after her birth were a blur, during that time she experienced so many memorable first moments that are incredibly dear to my heart; the moment she first met her big sister Amelia, the night she slept in her bassinet for the very first time, the day she gave her daddy a little smile when he came home from work. I loved experiencing all these moments so much, but there is one first that truly tops the list for me and that was Ryleigh’s very first laugh.

The Day I Heard My Favorite Sound

A baby’s first laugh can be tough to spot sometimes, they make all sorts of sounds and it can be a little tricky to tell a giggle from a chortle. On this particular day Ryleigh was resting in her baby lounger and I was making all sorts of silly sounds and singing her favorite songs.

20161004_164543

I leaned over her face to give her a kiss on the nose and I made a loud “mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmwah” sound and that’s when I heard it. She let out an unmistakable full-fledged laugh for the very first time. Her laugh was the most perfect sound I have ever heard, it was so gleeful and she looked just as surprised as I did that she had made this new noise.

I spent the remainder of the day making her laugh and thinking back to when I was sick and pregnant and wondering if she would be ok, if we’d ever get to experience little moments like this together. Now, every time I hear her laugh it serves as a reminder to me that I should never take experiences and milestones like this for granted.

How You Can Help Families Experience More Firsts

The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing premature birth, birth defects, and infant mortality. The March of Dimes carries out this mission through community services, advocacy, research, education and support.

By donating to the March of Dimes you can help fund the research that’s crucial to making breakthroughs in the fight to end prematurity. Give them tomorrow, by donating today!

Now, it’s time to help other families have a chance at experiencing their baby’s first milestone moments by getting involved at http://www.marchofdimes.org/give-them-tomorrow.aspx.

#babysfirst #givethemtomorrow
 
 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of March of Dimes. The opinions and text are all mine.

Author: Leigha Grimes

Share This Post On

Related Posts: