EIRMC, community prepare to walk for babies

Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center will sponsor the March of Dimes fundraiser on Saturday.

Dixie Weber, the hospital’s director of Women’s and Children’s Services, said 15 to 20 percent of births in eastern Idaho are premature, and babies in rural areas tend to need extra care.

Both moms and babies may face health risks and a sometimes lengthy hospital stay, said Weber.

The early delivery can also take a financial and emotional toll on families.

“Most families don’t come to the hospital with a birth plan to go to the (Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit), so it’s definitely mourning the delivery you thought you’d have, as well as, really, changing roles from being a mom taking home a well newborn to a mom at the bedside of a baby who’s sick,” said Weber.

The March for Babies is Saturday at Freeman Park in Idaho Falls. Registration starts at 9 a.m. and the 3k walk is at 10 a.m.

EIRMC will also host a celebration for babies who have graduated from the NICU, and their families, on Saturday after the walk. Weber said they’re expecting 150 to 200 families.