As I spoke to Danielle Dalton early Friday morning, she had just ushered her son, Liam, to preschool. She says he’s a go-with-the-flow boy, so their morning routine was easy.
However, Liam’s arrival into the world was anything but easy.
Danielle and Nicholas Dalton were at their six-month checkup when Dalton’s longtime doctor calmly told her that their baby was measuring a little small and they should pack a bag and head over to Mount Carmel St. Anne’s hospital for testing. There, Dalton was told she’d have to deliver their baby that day – three months early.
“We were first-time parents – it was actually devastating. I couldn’t even wrap my head around what was happening,” she says. “All of our friends had easy, healthy babies with easy pregnancies. No one had ever experienced anything we were going through.”
Little Liam
Although it may have felt like they were alone, Ohio Mission Director for March of Dimes, Lisa Holloway, says in Ohio, one in 10 babies are born prematurely. The number of premature births has risen for the past four years in the U.S., while pregnancy-related deaths have doubled in the last 12 years.
It’s an issue March of Dimes hopes to eradicate one day, but there’s a lot of work to be done. The organization focuses on research, fundraising, reducing disparities between different race’s mortality rates and increasing the overall awareness around premature birth.
Liam Dalton was born at 25 weeks and five days, weighing just 13 ounces; doctors told the terrified parents he had a six percent chance of survival.
“They immediately took him away and my husband went over to take photos to show me,” Dalton says. “I woke up later and he brought a picture to me, and I couldn’t even understand what I was looking at.”
The photo was of Nicholas’ wedding ring, which fit around Liam’s tiny arm.
“I remember crying because to me, that was the first time I understood the severity of what we were facing and how tiny he really was,” Dalton says. “It was shocking.”
He remained in the hospital’s care from May 15 to Dec. 31, 2014, now making New Year’s Eve a very special time for the family. Even though he was home, the challenges didn’t stop. For another six months, Liam was on oxygen and his parents underwent crazy ups and downs.
Sharing Their Story
In such a short amount of time, the Daltons’ lives changed dramatically, and yet they say there was no one there to help them cope. The hospital had given them all the information it could, but the couple felt isolated and alone.
Four months later, Dalton wrote on Facebook explaining what they had gone through in giving birth to Liam. She immediately received an outpouring of responses and support, women coming forward saying they, too, had premature babies. One of her friends heard her story and connected her with March of Dimes.
Since then, the organization has given the family an outlet to share their story, advocate for the issue and extend a hand to parents going through similar situations. Dalton has volunteered with Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Newborn Intensive Care Units, being there for women and helping guide them through ups and downs. The entire family also always participates in the March of Dimes March for Babies. In 2017, they were the ambassador family for March of Dimes’ Signature Chefs Auction.
“The event has certainly evolved over the years,” Holloway says. “We now have more involvement of families who have been impacted, because now that March of Dimes is focusing more on premature birth rates and the maternal mortality, people have an opportunity to share, be touched, and involved.”
The First Day of School
The Dalton’s idea of normal was shattered when Liam was born, and now they’re there for others, letting them know the pieces can be put back together through support.
“Nobody tells you what to expect when you’re about to deliver a preemie,” Dalton says. “There’s nobody there to tell you you’re about to endure one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to do.”
As for Liam, he’s a bright little boy and a million-dollar kid to his parents. He recently had to bring in a baby photo for his preschool class, and Dalton sent in a photo of him at 13 ounces, tubes and all.
“We don’t hold anything back from him,” she says. “We tell him he’s special.”
It’s amazing that this almost terrifyingly tiny baby is the same boy who appears in his school photos – an adorable smile and eager face worth swooning over. He may have been born small, but there’s no doubt that he’s been surrounded by big hearts ever since.
Mallory Arnold is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
