By Amy George

As I sit down to write this article, I am bleary-eyed and exhausted.

Did I run a marathon? Did I scale a mountain? Did I tackle the pile of laundry waiting for me in my closet?

No.

I celebrated my daughter’s 5th birthday.

I don’t mean the party. That’s coming in a couple of days.

I mean Ann Catherine’s actual birthday.

You know how it is with children. You just want every moment of their day to be special and perfect. And by the end of the day, you can’t even remember what day it is.

And you know what?

Being tired has never been so much fun. Five years ago today, I didn’t know if Ann Catherine would live through the night, much less make it to her fifth birthday.

She and her twin, Melissa, were born a staggering 14 weeks early at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. They were immediately taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where Melissa died only two and a half hours later.

In the bed next to her, Ann Catherine was fighting to live. She weighed only one pound, fifteen ounces. A ventilator was helping her breath. Her body was tiny and frail. I could count her ribs as she took each breath.

Each day she got a little stronger. She eventually came off the ventilator. Her feeding tube was removed. She was moved from an open warmer to an isolette, then finally, a crib. And 68 days after she entered this world so incredibly sick and fragile, she came home. It was the happiest day of our lives.

My husband, Chris, and I went on to establish the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund at Huntsville Hospital Foundation. The fund provides critically needed equipment for the NICU. And our biggest fundraiser is just around the corner!

The 5th annual Swim for Melissa and Miracle Bash is August 13-14. We’ll kick off the weekend with the Miracle Bash on Friday night at the Davidson Center. Guests will enjoy dinner, live and silent auctions and dancing to the tunes of the Tyrone Smith Revue (aka “Super T”), the #1 dance and show band in the South for more than 30 years (they even performed at Jenna Bush’s wedding reception!).

Then, the fun will continue on Saturday, August 14 at Swim for Melissa at Hampton Cove Pool. Children ages 4-15 are invited to raise money for Melissa’s fund and hit the water in a non-competitive swim. We are currently signing up teams, so if your child loves to swim and you want them to take part, call Susan Ready at Huntsville Hospital Foundation at (256)265-9451 or email her.

Right now, the NICU at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children is filled with babies whose parents are just as scared as Chris and I were five years ago. These parents can only live day to day. They aren’t thinking of a fifth birthday. They’re just hoping their child makes it through the night. By supporting Swim for Melissa, you can give these parents hope. We hope to see you there!

This has been an unusually busy year for me. Not only have I been doing all that I normally do (working with nursing moms and babies, publishing this magazine, home-schooling etc,) I also started a non-profit called Moms Nurturing Moms. We just achieved 501c3 status which means we can seek grants from foundations and accept donations as a non-profit charitable organization. I’m really excited about this because we have some great projects that we are eager to fund. We are planning a comprehensive support and education program for teen moms. We already provide lactation services on a sliding-fee basis. Finally, we are putting together a website to promote all the various breastfeeding support available across North Alabama, together with a huge media blitz to promote breastfeeding in our region. Here’s where you come in! If you are aware of a support group or someone who provides breastfeeding services, please let me know so I can include them on the webpage. We are applying for a Pepsi Refresh Grant to help fund our work, so be sure to check out our website to find out how you can vote.

And you’ll also want to vote for area mom Michele Crook who is putting together a TV show! Her article in this issue tells all about her project. You’ll also learn about an area mom whose remarkable story has a wonderful ending! We also have a local resource for Cord Blood Banking which you’ll learn about I this issue as well.

Finally, in honor of Father’s Day, we are profiling new dad Zach Penney, General Manager of Bill Penney Toyota. You won’t want to miss Zach’s take on fatherhood, family, faith and business. And to all our dads out there, we wish you a Very Happy Father’s Day!

Couple Goes From Infertility to Near-Tragedy to Joy	Cord Blood Banking Services
Local Mom Believes She Has “It”	One Day at a Time Turns into Five Amazing Years

Michele Crook, a Huntsville mom of a five month old, is attempting to turn her maternity leave into a dream opportunity. One afternoon while doing dishes, among other things, with the television on in the background, she learned of a TV show host competition. However, what Crook heard coming from the TV wasn’t without a catch; applicants should possess a special skill or talent. “Nope, not me,” she thought. But then the ‘it’ factor was mentioned. “Hmm, maybe me,” she realized. “Okay, now what kind of show will I come up with and submit for the competition?” Crook questioned, not realizing the answer was literally right under her nose as she stood in the kitchen holding her baby. Moments later, the show idea hit her like a freight train; a show for parents about being parents, a show for expectant parents to parents of kindergarten age children, a show to answer questions, provide information, and share ideas with parents, a show to help parents become their own baby’s expert.

While Crook has her own child and has worked as a nanny and developed her own nanny business, she will not claim to be a child expert, just child experienced who knows there is a great need for this type of TV show among all the gossip, food, home décor, gardening, golfing, sport, etc. shows. Rather than being the shows know-it-all, Crook plans to turn to subject matter experts to provide the answers and inform the viewers. Each show will be topic driven with some topics becoming recurring themes in order to do the subject justice and to be most helpful to parents. The shows will also feature relevant site visits incorporating the day’s topic and whenever possible, will show parents with their children experiencing things together. Recognizing that all parents are proud parents, Crook will also have a daily “look at me” segment showing a viewer’s special submitted video clip.

Crook’s three minute audition video is available on line. It features show topic suggestions presented by local moms, dads, and a collection of subject matter experts, each of whom is excited about the show and Crook’s enthusiasm and her ‘it’ factor.

To show your support for this incredible show, please vote here again and again, leave a comment, and share the link with all your friends and contacts.

By Lauren McCormick

What would you do in order to preserve hope for your child’s future? Most parents will do whatever it takes. For expectant parents, this includes the option to bank your child’s umbilical cord blood. With close to 80 diseases and disorders treatable with stem cells from a baby’s cord blood, the decision becomes clearer. Some of these diseases and disorders include cancers, bone marrow failure disorders, blood disorders, hemoglobinopathies, metabolic disorders, and immunodeficiencies. Other current possible treatments that are emerging include type-1 diabetes, cerebral palsy, and brain injury. Many clinical trials are presently underway using the stem cells derived from cord blood whereby many new treatable diseases and disorders are likely to be identified.

Cord blood is the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta of a newborn baby, following delivery. The sample can be collected either before or after the placenta is delivered and normally takes about five minutes. The collection process does not present any risk or harm to either mother or child and has typically been discarded as medical waste. Cord blood contains adult stem cells, not to be confused with the controversial embryonic stem cells which are derived from human embryos. Stem cells are basically starter cells that have the ability to develop into specific tissue or organ cells within the body that repair damaged cells and regenerate new ones. An added benefit to banking cord blood stem cells is the increased probability to treat diagnosed diseases and disorders of other family members, especially parents and siblings.

Southern Cord™ is a private cord blood banking service headquartered in downtown Huntsville, Alabama, established upon the values making cord blood banking affordable as well as educating expectant families on the potential benefits of banking their child’s cord blood. Well aware of all the costs as well as activities, appointments, and other tasks that go along with a new addition to the family, Southern Cord™ has made their process simple to understand and stress-free with multiple payment plans to suite everyone’s needs.

The Southern Cord™ has made their complete process into 3 simple steps: Enroll, Collect, and Ship. To enroll, a client would fill-out and return all documents needed to complete the cord blood processing. After submission of all required documents and payment of the enrollment fee, the client receives the collection kit. The collection kit contains all the necessary materials and instructions to properly collect and ship the cord blood. Along with the cord blood, the lab also requires a maternal blood sample to check for infectious diseases and other risk factors. Once the cord blood and maternal blood are collected, labeled, and placed into the provided clinical shipping bag, everything is ready to be shipped to our processing and storage facilities.

Once the blood arrives, it is tested for various infectious diseases, bacterial contamination, and fungal contamination. If the maternal blood or cord blood test positive for any diseases or the cord blood test positive for contaminations, the sample is stored in a quarantined area. Once the cord blood stem cells are processed and separated, they are then ready to be cryogenically preserved at -190° C. The facilities are FDA registered, AABB accredited, and CLIA certified. The facilities as well as the offices are monitored 24/7 to insure your information and potentially life-saving cord blood are well protected.

If you would like more information including pricing details or if you have any questions or concerns, please visit their website or give them a call at 256-564-7088.

By Loretta Gillespie

In December of 2006, Kristina and Richey Terry decided they wanted to have a baby. They were both young, healthy people, in their thirties, and Kristina had a child by a previous marriage without any problems. Nevertheless, after months of trying, they finally decided to seek help in finding out what was wrong. Things seemed fine with Richey, all systems go, so the doctors concentrated on testing Kristina.

In September of 2007, after checking her progesterone, doctors discovered that she was not ovulating. The next month her doctor started her on the fertility drug, Clomid. The couple had high hopes. Testing showed that the drug was helping her to ovulate. By November, pregnancy tests were still negative.

“I continued to take the Clomid, and was referred to a fertility doctor. After looking into my case, and doing more testing, he discovered that my problem was Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, (PCOS),” says Kristina. “There were thirteen cysts on one of my ovaries, and seven on the other,” she recalls.

In May, it was back to the doctor’s office for an Intra Uterine Insemination, (IUI). This process required a sperm specimen from Richey to be planted in Kristina’s uterus. Much to their disappointment, after another test, the results were still negative.

On June 9th, they made a trip to Birmingham, to another fertility doctor. Kristina recalls, “The doctor gave me a fertility shot to boost me into ovulating regularly. Her diagnosis was the same as before, PCOS.” The next month, the pregnancy results were the same, negative. It was getting disheartening for them, but they continued to hope.

By July, the doctor decided that surgery was necessary to check for endometriosis, and to see if Kristina’s tubes could possibly be blocked. This should also stimulate her ovaries. “My tubes were clear, but I had a very mild case of endometriosis,” says Kristina. On August 15, 2008, Kristina had a second IUI performed. Two weeks later tests showed that nothing was happening.

In November, Kristina started taking fertility shots. She went back again to Birmingham for the third IUI, but later that month had yet another disappointment. That Christmas, Kristina got another round of fertility shots. “These were higher doses, so I was positive that this time it would work. They wanted to do another IUI, but it was Christmas, and we just couldn’t afford it.” Even with all the expensive procedures, drugs, tests, and effort on their part, in January they were faced with yet another frustrating result. Things were looking grim, nothing seemed to be working. Kristina was advised to stop all medications and to start a regimen of birth control pills, “The doctor thought that my system needed a rest from everything,” she said.

In April of 2009, just as she was starting to relax — to stop stressing out over the whole ordeal — Kristina woke up one morning coughing up blood and unable to breath. Not knowing what was wrong, and in incredible pain, she tried to wait it out. When she could stand it no longer, she gave in and went to the emergency room. A CAT scan showed a blood clot in her lung. Her family physician determined that the clot was the result of all the estrogen she had been taking. He put her on the blood thinner, Cumodin, and took her off everything else she had been taking.

Four days later, she left the hospital, scared, depressed, and still not pregnant. Kristina and Richey finally gave in to the idea that they might never have a baby. They were devastated at the thought. They had come close to losing Kristina. If the clot had been bigger, or hit another area of her lung, she might not have pulled through. On the outside, they appeared to be living their lives as if the trauma of the past years had never happened, but on the inside, they were both disheartened and depressed. Even Allie, Kristina’s eleven-year-old daughter, noticed that they both seemed to be just going through the motions. Later, Kristina would describe these as the darkest days of her life.

On July 17, 2009, a hot and sultry day here in North Alabama, Kristina stopped in to get a pedicure and the nail technician remarked that Kristina’s skin was glowing. That may have been what made her stop in town to pick up a pregnancy test kit - something she hadn’t done in several months - it was almost an after thought, something she just threw in with her groceries. Later, when she took the test, it turned up positive. She didn’t trust the results, so she went back to get another one. It was also positive. “I had just had some blood work and an x-ray done that same day, as a recheck on my blood clot, so I called the nurse and asked her to run a pregnancy test with the sample she had. When she called back and confirmed what the other tests had shown, I was elated!” recalls Kristina.

At the time, Richey was on a business trip in Georgia. “I just left the guy who was with me there, and came straight home,” said Richey with a grin. “I was here in two hours.” The couple wound up meeting at the Emergency Room, not because of the baby, but because Allie had broken her leg in a trampoline accident.

“When Richey walked into the ER, we just hugged and cried. I’m sure the nurses thought we were really making a big deal out of a broken leg,” she laughs. “Everyone said Richey was glowing more than me, and he actually gained more weight than I did! I prayed to God, thanking Him for giving us this chance, for the incredible miracle He had blessed us with, and for my amazing life,” she humbly adds.

On March 1, 2010, Piper Richelle Terry was born, healthy and beautiful. It was a normal delivery, with family surrounding her. Allie, now officially a Big Sister, was almost as proud as if she had produced this little life herself. “I have always thanked God for giving me Allie, and now I have another precious gift from Him,” says Kristina, softly.

This story was written as an inspiration to couples everywhere who are trying to have children.

February-March 2010

June-July 2010

Being a mom is an amazing adventure. Sometimes, though, it can be a heartbreaking, gut-wrenching journey. In recent days, moms in Haiti, already struggling with immense poverty, have experienced incomprehensible grief. Children have lost parents; parents have lost children. A country has been decimated.

I have a close friend who is already planning to adopt a Haitian child. Yet, there are children in many parts of the world who are longing for a mommy and daddy to love them. Even here, many children need a loving home.

This issue features some pretty remarkable mothers. Barbara Schantz is a local mother of two sets of twins who has invented an amazing product. You’ll also learn about a local mom who went all out to win the WAY 31 Valley Baby of the Year contest. As always, Amy George has written a terrific article about the generosity of our Tennessee Valley residents at the Huntsville Havoc Melissa George night.

Be sure to visit our advertisers and thank them for being part of the Valley Babies family.

Baby Dipper Bow Makes Feeding Time Fun!	The Conscious Parent
Dale’s Destinations	Valley Baby of the Year 2009
Meet the Physician	Tiny Footprints Leave a Big Mark!

By Amy George

I have stopped being amazed at the generosity of people in the Tennessee Valley.

I saw it time and time again as a news anchor at WHNT TV-19. Each time we did a story on some type of tragedy, viewers would respond with help for those involved. They never failed to help those who needed it.

I have also experienced it first-hand. My husband, Chris, and I started the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund at Huntsville Hospital Foundation in 2005 in memory of our daughter who passed away in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. We are now closing in on the million dollar mark in donations. People have opened their hearts and wallets to give to our fund, which purchases critical equipment for the NICU.

Last month, they did it again.

On January 9th, the Huntsville Havoc hosted the 4th annual Melissa George Night. Each year the players have worn special jerseys (in some shade of pink or blue!) and auctioned them off after the game. This year the jerseys bore the footprints of actual babies who have been in our NICU. They were amazing!

In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you this: I wasn’t at this year’s event. Trust me, it wasn’t by choice. A few hours before the game, I came down with a stomach virus and had to stay home. I was absolutely heartbroken, because this event means so much to me. It’s not about the game. It’s about how close I feel to Melissa when I look at the ice and see the players wearing these special jerseys. It’s about the way I feel when I scan the crowd and see fans wearing Melissa George jerseys that they purchased in previous auctions. It hurt so bad to miss it.

But my wonderful husband came home and shared so many heartwarming stories about the event. He told me how jerseys winners from our previous auctions came down on the ice to join him and our two daughters, Ann Catherine and Lily Baker, as they dropped the puck before the game. He told me how he went into the locker room before the game to tell those rough and tumble hockey player about an amazing little girl named Melissa and how we were working to change lives in honor of her. He told me about the hundreds of people who brought items for the precious babies in our NICU. And he told me about those who came to the auction and purchased jerseys to help us further our goal of making life better for our NICU babies and their families.

At the end of the night, we raised more than $38,000! We’ll use that money to purchase a Giraffe Warmer and other items for the NICU. It’s so hard to put our thanks into words. We are so grateful to the people of this area for supporting our daughter’s fund. Your hearts are huge – and so is the impact you are making in the lives of those who enter the world too early. They may be too young to thank you, so please allow me to do it on their behalf. We couldn’t do it without you.

Amy George is a former news anchor for WHNT NewsChannel 19. She and her husband, Chris, founded the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund in memory of their daughter, Melissa Suzanne. The fund raises money for the Neonatal ICU at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. They have two other daughters: Ann Catherine (3) and Lily Baker (2). Follow her blog.

Dr. Michael Lawley has recently joined the staff at The Orthopaedic Center as a pediatric orthopaedic specialist. He completed his bachelor’s degree at Birmingham Southern University and finished medical school at the University of Mobile. Dr. Lawley completed his orthopaedic residency at the University of Tennessee School of Medicine in Chattanooga, Tennessee, followed by a fellowship at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Portland, Oregon. Recently Dr. Lawley took time out of his busy schedule to let us get to know him better.

VB: How did you decide to specialize in pediatric orthopedics?
Dr. Lawley: I made my decision after my rotation through the Shriner’s Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina. I really enjoy pediatric patients because then my work becomes play; it’s a natural fit for me because I’m such a laid back person. The great thing about pediatric patients is the fact that they are self motivated, heal quickly, and generally have wonderful textbook-like anatomy because they haven’t had time to do any damage to their bodies like a sixty year old person.

VB: When might an infant need to see you?
Dr. Lawley: An infant or child would typically see me if parents or their pediatrician notices any of the following: hip click, asymmetric thigh folds, walking on their tip-toes, walking with their toes pointed inward, or any type of limb or spinal deformity. Those are our most typical cases for infants and children, and then it differs some once you get into the adolescent ages.

VB: You’ve moved here fairly recently. How did you decide to come to Huntsville?
Dr. Lawley: I actually grew up in this area, so it was like coming home. We chose this over Chattanooga where I completed my fellowship because of my familiarity with the area, a need for my specialty, and the public school systems are phenomenal in this area.

VB: Tell us about your family.
Dr. Lawley: My beautiful wife Jan and I have been married for 9 years. We have three daughters are Hannah (4), Maggie (2), and our newest addition Betsy was recently born mid- January. I’m definitely outnumbered in our house.

VB: How does being a father of young children yourself affect the way you treat your patients?
Dr. Lawley: I always think of my own daughters when I’m looking at a patient, I try to imagine how I’d like my child to be treated and pass that on to my patients. I also understand where the parents are coming from and that they are worried about their child because I have three children myself. Especially in a more complicated case, I like to involve the entire family is involved in the decisions. I want to make sure they understand what is going on with their child, and answering any questions they might have.

VB: What advice do you have for parents who want to help their kids avoid orthopedic injuries?
Dr. Lawley: The best way is by avoiding hazardous activities such as trampolines, and skateboarding, etc…however we all know kids will be kids. The overall key is eating right and staying active.

By: Jennifer Bader

In October 2008, I started thinking of ways that our family could make a difference in the lives of premature babies in the Tennessee Valley. Because we had premature twins, our family, like so many others, benefited from the services that the March of Dimes provides throughout the nation! In coordination with WAAY-31, Valley Babies and Heather Bookout Studios, we came up with the 1st Annual Valley Baby of the Year promotion.

WAAY31 is honored to partner with caring and generous local business leaders and with the March of Dimes in raising both awareness and funds to benefit families throughout north Alabama. According to WAAY-31’s Interactive Media Director, Leslie Moody, here are some amazing statistics from this year’s contest.

• In the first month, the website received more than 400,000 hits
• By the time it wrapped up, more than 1.25 million pages of baby contest related content had been viewed.
• 1,285 babies were entered in the course of the contest.
• Close to $9000 was raised for the March of Dimes

Many of you have asked if this promotion will continue in years to come. We absolutely plan to make the Valley Baby of the Year contest an annual event. We learned a lot in year one that will make it even better for the participants and for the March of Dimes going forward. All the partners are currently working together to get the 2010 contest underway. Stay tuned to WAAY-31 for the latest update! With your help, we can make 2010 a better year than 2009 in raising money for the March of Dimes.

Meet Valley Baby of the Year 2009:

Today, you will find 21 month old Penelope Anne Shickles on the cover of this Valley Baby issue. In December, you saw her on the cover of the 2009 Valley Baby of the Year calendar. According to her mom, this spring you will find Penelope turning two and wreaking havoc and seeking danger at every turn. When her parents told her she had won Baby of the Year, Penelope was speechless! Penelope has embraced her Baby of the Year status and in now using her powers for good. She can frequently be found sharing, waving and chatting with anyone she encounters. Her winning smile and captivating eyes make her irresistible as was evidenced by the amount of money her picture helped raise for The March of Dimes. While Penelope was fortunate enough never to need the services of March of Dimes, she did spend some time in the NICU immediately after her birth. Even though it was just a few hours, it seemed like a lifetime to her family. The Shickles family has been honored to be part of this event, saying, “The March of Dimes does wonderful work and being able to help them expand their resources has touched our hearts in so many ways.”

March of Dimes Making a Difference:

The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. The March of Dimes is successful in carrying out this mission through programs of research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies’ lives.

Save the Date:

The 2010 March for Babies will take place on April 17th at Bridge Street Town Centre. When you walk in the March for Babies, you are giving hope to more than half a million babies born way too soon each year. For more information and to join a local team visit their website.

Jennifer Bader is the mother of twins Addie and Alex. She is married to Dale Bader of WAAY-31. She is also on the local March of Dimes Board of Directors.