When Amber and her husband, John, discovered they were expecting twins, they were thrilled. Amber enjoyed a healthy and uneventful pregnancy—until her labor began early, at 28 weeks.

For the next six nerve-wracking weeks, Amber was confined to bed rest, shuttling between home and the hospital. It was a time that would test the fortitude of any mom, calling on every bit of courage and grace she could muster. But she knew every additional day her babies got was critical to their health—and she knows how lucky her family was that they had the time they did.“We were blessed,” Amber says, “that my girls got those precious six weeks to grow and develop.”

At 34 weeks, her daughters were born—fighters, just like their mom. “While they were early and tiny,” she says, “they were strong.” Although the family experienced a range of the complications prematurity can cause, both Charlotte and Audrey are healthy and thriving today, thanks in part to innovations made possible by March of Dimes’ work. “I am so thankful for the advances made by March of Dimes,” says Amber. “I feel I owe my girls’ very life to them.”

Champion moms like Amber and fighters like Charlotte and Audrey inspire what we do—and the reason we work for a healthy start for every family. From education to research to advocacy, March of Dimes is leading the fight for the health of all moms and babies. Why? Because as Amber says, “I never want another mother to have to look back on the birth of their children with sadness or fear.”