Sutter Roseville employee raises Premature Birth awareness

Personal experience with granddaughter touches Irene Wittkop

Roseville, Calf.- Irene Wittkop is intimately familiar with the fragile state of babies born too soon. Irene is a Transfusion Service Coordinator at Sutter Roseville Medical Center and worked to establish transfusion procedures with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that treats premature and sick infants.
 
However, Irene’s experience with premature babies became personal when her own granddaughter was born 12 weeks early in 2009.
 
‘My granddaughter, April, was born weighing 2 pounds, 3 ounces, and spent nine weeks in the NICU, ‘ remembers Irene. ‘When it was time for her to go home, I couldn’t believe a 4 pound, 9 ounce baby looked big, but to us she did!’
 
Little April is now a happy and healthy two-year-old. A large part of April’s success is possible because of the research and studies made possible by March of Dimes. It is in celebration of April, as well as for thousands of premature babies born each year that her family will walk in the upcoming March of Dimes March for Babies:
 
Also attending March for Babies will be 2011 Co-Chairs Pat Brady, CEO, Sutter Roseville Medical Center and Tom Blinn, CEO, Sutter Medical Foundation.
 
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org or call 916.922.1913. March for Babies is locally sponsored by Sutter Roseville Medical Center, Sutter Health and Health Net.