prayers for a red sox mama

I'm thinking about Kelli Pedroia today. She's a Chicago native, an ASU grad, a melanoma survivor, a fundraiser, and the wife of our beloved Red Sox 2nd baseman Dustin. She's pregnant with their first child, a boy.

Two nights ago Dustin was out of the line up with a family emergency. Last night we found out why - Kelli went to into preterm labor at 31 weeks.

31 weeks is not the absolute worst. I mean, I know this now, that 31 weeks is very scary but not the absolute worst, compared to 28, 25, 20.... But 32 weeks is so very much better and every week you get after that is even better. Kelli is on hospital bedrest and on tocolytics to halt labor, and the baby has gotten his steroid shots. I'll be praying that they get to 32, 34, 36 weeks.

I couldn't have written the above paragraph 6 months ago. I didn't know anything about preterm labor until after it happened to me. I was pregnant, I was having complications, but still, my doctors did not prepare me. I wish all women could be prepared. I wish we could speak about it more clearly, openly, proactively.

Here is what the newspapers said: "[Dustin] still isn't sure, medically, what exactly happened with his unborn son. 'They're giving her all this medicine, they gave her some shots to help the baby out so we're trying to keep him in there for as long as possible. He probably wants a Red Bull or something,' Pedroia said."

Translation: spontaneous preterm labor, a rush to the hospital, followed by tocolytics, maybe mag sulfate, to halt labor and steroid shots for baby's lung development. They will try to keep the baby in for at least 48 hours so the steroids can do their thing, and preferably for another week so she can get to 32 and even more preferably keep baby cookin' as long as possible. Probably bedrest in hospital or at home.

They didn't give those specifics. I'm inferring. But I'm right. Because I did all my own homework. Granted, this is sports coverage. Granted, they want to protect mama and baby and not release their medical details to the press. But it's interesting to me that the paper didn't add any more details about what exactly preterm labor is.

Because preterm birth rates are on the rise here. It effects women across all race, class, and economic lines (see: Kelli Pedroia) and women with no obvious risk factors. We don't know why it happens, we don't know how to stop it. And most moms are unprepared for it. Not good. It seems like it's time to start talking about it, to start giving women more help, more preparation.

I wonder if it would be possible to educate women about preterm labor and birth without rooting that information in fear, without worrying about freaking out all the mommies? It seems like we should be able to do that. After all, we went to the moon.

If I were writing this article, it would have included this paragraph: "Preterm labor is labor that occurs before the 37th week of pregnancy. Preterm labor can happen to any woman. About 12 percent of births (1 in 8) in the United States are preterm. Babies who are born preterm are at higher risk of needing hospitalization, having long-term health problems and of dying than babies born at the right time. Preterm labor may sometimes be stopped with a combination of medication and rest. More often, birth can be delayed just long enough to transport the woman to a hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and to give her a drug to help speed up her baby’s lung development. More information for all expecting mothers can be found at www.marchofdimes.com."

But the papers didn't. They didn't talk about it because, well, it's simply not talked about. (Not to mention, there is silence on PTL/PTB, but deafening silence in the land of full-term stillbirth.)

"It was tough," Dustin said. "This is our first child. I didn't really know what to do. I'm learning on the fly. It kind of happened real fast. I'm just glad she's OK and the baby seems to be OK so we'll wait and see."

Even when it happens to you, you still don't know anything about it.

I will be praying for Kelli and Dustin and baby boy this week. Praying that they get to 32 weeks with no complications. Praying that they receive good care, and that any NICU time will be healthful and limited. Praying even more that her labor will stop and they will reach 37 weeks.

This is happening way too often.