So little, so loved

Too Beautiful For Earth

Mila Ross Meyer 9/3/12-9/11/12

This post is dedicated to Mila and her Mother, Samantha Meyer, who will be walking in the March of Dimes. Here is her birth story.

I walk in honor of my daughter, Mila Ross Meyer, who we tragically lost on September 11, 2012. I went into labor at 24 weeks and 3 days. They did everything they could to stop the labor, but I gave birth to my 1 lb 13 oz daughter on September 3rd, 2012 at 16:54, within 9 hours of arriving at the ER. They never found the cause of my labor. It will always remain a mystery. Until that fateful day, I had a textbook perfect pregnancy.

She remained strong in the NICU. The thing that only a NICU parent can understand, however, is how quickly things can take a dark turn. On day 4, Mila had a terrible brain bleed, a grade 4, the most significant an infant can have. On day 8, she had a perforation in her bowels, and it was life threatening. The doctor stressed to us that chances were slim for her to survive this surgery that she needed so badly. He gave us the option to opt for surgery, or to remove life support.

I still to this day do not understand exactly what he told me, all I remember is looking at his grave-stricken face, and seeing the nurses crying behind him. I knew what that day was going to entail before he even spoke. I remember my husband placing his hands on my shoulders behind me as I laid my head on her incubator and began to cry. I knew what we had to do to give our daughter the best life we could. We had to let her go.

I couldn't stand the thought of her leaving this world cold and alone, and so scared. Her dying during surgery was not the way we wanted it. She needed me to hold her, she needed her mother to be there. My husband and I spent 16 hours in that NICU room. And finally, I heard her first, last, and only cry, and she left this world. She was finally pain-free and at peace.

Her strength inspires me everyday to be a better person. She taught both my husband and I how much love our hearts are capable of. We will always love her and miss her, and wish we could have saved her. If we can give just one more baby the chance to survive, and give their parents the greatest gift of all, their child, then I would say we have made our daughter proud. Mila fought so bravely for life, and we honor her by helping other babies win their battles.

Please support Samantha in her walk. Sponsoring her is easy: just click here and click "donate now." The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Thank you for helping her give all babies a healthy start!