The Gudenkauf Family’s Story and Why March for Babies 2016 Is So Important

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The Gudenkauf Family's Story and Why March for Babies 2016 Is So Important | Des Moines Moms Blog

The March of Dimes Annual March for Babies is coming up on Saturday, May 7, 2016! How can you and your family be involved?

The March for Babies is an annual event and one of the nation’s oldest walking events. It’s a family friendly, mission-focused day of celebration and recognition.

Whether you have been directly touched by prematurity like ours, or you know someone who has – everyone can participate in the walk and the activities available! It’s a fun family day and a really simple way to help make a difference in the lives of our community families.

I am honored to have local mom, Samantha Gudenkauf, share their family’s story with us. The Gudenkauf family has been chosen as the Central Iowa Ambassador Family for the March of Dimes this year. 

The Gudenkauf Family's Story and Why March for Babies 2016 Is So Important | Des Moines Moms Blog

Our Story

My husband, Adam, and I were married in 2008. Before we even got married we always knew that we wanted children. After having two miscarriages, I was diagnosed with a blood clotting disorder. If I took blood thinners throughout pregnancy, I should be able to maintain a pregnancy. We finally made it to the second trimester in 2010. I remember feeling such relief to know that we had finally made it that far and thinking things were smooth sailing. We had our anatomy scan in February of that year. As soon as the wand touched my belly, it was clear we were having a son. My husband was so proud that it was a boy. I remember dreaming of the football games, fishing, and all things that scream boy. As the ultrasound tech continued down her checklist, she grew increasingly quiet. By the end she was silent and finally announced that she needed to get the doctor. My husband and I just looked at each other, trying to figure out what had just happened. After what seemed like an eternity, she and the doctor finally came in and discussed the findings. They saw several anomalies with his heart, they couldn’t see his stomach, and there were some spots on his brain. Adam tried so hard to be strong as I fell apart. All of those dreams that I had had just minutes before came crashing down. We left the OBGYN’s office in a fog and went upstairs to the perinatalogist’s office for more testing. They did another anatomy scan, this time more in depth, and performed an amniocentesis. With that many visible issues, the doctor wanted to rule out any genetic conditions.

The pregnancy continued to progress normally in a physical sense. Emotionally, I was a mess. After several weeks we finally received our genetic testing, and no genetic issues were found. We continued to meet with my OB, the perinatologist, and had our first appointment with the pediatric cardiologist. By this point the spots on his brain had disappeared and his stomach was visible some of the time. The big concern was now his heart. After the fetal echocardiogram, they diagnosed him with five heart defects and formulated their plan. There would be three to four open heart surgeries in the first year of his life. At this point we were instructed to proceed normally with the pregnancy, as he needed to stay in the womb as long as possible. They needed his lungs as developed as possible to work on the heart.

The morning of May 19, 2010, my water broke at just 34 weeks. We were completely unprepared. Bags weren’t packed, my work wasn’t prepped for my absence, nothing was figured out for the dogs, yet we left for the hospital. Shortly after getting to Mercy and being hooked up to the monitors, the OBGYN on call made the decision that the baby’s heart just couldn’t endure labor. And since I was still on full strength blood thinners, they needed to do the Cesarean under general anesthesia. James Otto Gudenkauf was born at 7:52 a.m. on May 19, 2010. While trying to intubate him, they realized he had another unknown condition. He had no airway present, preventing him from ever being able to breathe on his own: Tracheal Atresia. James passed away in our arms at 12:25 p.m.

I remember feeling so lost and alone. Leaving the hospital with no baby carrier, having a house and nursery filled with baby equipment, a dresser full of clothes. It felt like there were reminders everywhere. Rather than enjoying newborn smells and sleepless nights, we were trying to plan a funeral and find a baptismal outfit small enough to fit him. We had an amazing outpour of family and friends that did everything in their power to make things as easy as possible. James was laid to rest a week after he was born. And after that our friends and family all went back to their lives while Adam and I struggled to figure out what our new normal was going to be.

Nearly exactly six months later we found out that we were once again pregnant. I truly struggled with excitement and acceptance of that pregnancy, constantly wondering when we would find something wrong. Thankfully, our prayers were finally answered and it was a perfectly healthy, full-term pregnancy resulting in a beautiful daughter, Catelyn. She truly was and still is the answer to my prayers. And while now that she is 4 1/2 years old I have to periodically remind myself to be grateful for the poor behavior choices or attitude, I wouldn’t change a single thing about her.

In the nearly six years after having James, Adam and I have grown stronger, individually and together. We were the only ones who truly understood what the other was going through. While we will never have true understanding as to why James left us so soon, we did eventually gain peace. I know he is healthy and happy in heaven, and some day I will get to see my son again. And until then, I will enjoy every minute I have with my daughter, as I know things can change in the blink of an eye.

Our family encourages you to be a part of the March of Dimes Walk this year. This event allows family and friends to come together to celebrate the survivors and remember our angels. In addition to the walk, this is also a huge fundraising event with the proceeds all going directly to the March of Dimes. 

The Gudenkauf Family's Story and Why March for Babies 2016 Is So Important | Des Moines Moms Blog

Event Details

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Registration is 8:30 to 9:30. Walk starts at 9:30.

Walk location is at the Ankeny DMACC campus located at 2006 E Ankeny Blvd. in Ankeny.

You can register and join a team, start your own, or register to walk individually. And of course, GIVE generously!

For more information, contact Shonda Hershberger at [email protected].

Get Your Family Involved and Make a Difference

In Iowa, 38,179 babies are born each year — 4,473 prematurely and 1,170 with a birth defect.

When you walk or donate money, you give hope to the babies born sick or too soon. The money raised supports programs in your community that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies, and it funds research to find answers to the serious problems that threaten our babies. We’ve been walking since 1970 and have raised an incredible $2.6 billion! Join the more than 7 million people who participate, donate and/or sponsor.

There are plenty of opportunities for day-of-event exposure, activation, and education – not to mention opportunities to meet hundreds of others who are just like you!

march of dimes logo

March of Dimes Mission, Programs, & Research

The March of Dimes has been helping to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality, and celebrates their 75th anniversary this year.

  • Community: Our programs help moms-to-be in Iowa have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies.
  • Advocacy: We advocate for programs that help moms in Iowa get care and services to improve their health and the health of their babies.
  • Research: We research the serious problems that threaten our babies and work on treatments and provisions.
  • Education: Our websites provide the latest pregnancy health information in English and Spanish. Health experts provide personal answers to moms’ questions.
  • Support: Through our online community and in hospitals in Iowa, we offer information and comfort to families with a newborn in intensive care.

Preventing premature birth in Iowa could mean an annual savings of $231 million, so get involved now. (Statistics based upon research of average medical cost for a healthy baby, $4,320, verses average medical cost for a preemie, $55,025.)

Get your family involved today! We’ll see you at the walk!

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