Caroline Grace- January 8, 1999

 This is my little sister only days after she was born. Though she was only 2.5 pounds and had arrived long before we were ready for her to be here...she was a little fighter and was only on the ventilator for a day or two out of her three weeks of being hospitalized.

You can see the arm holding her up is swallowing her because she is so tiny. That is my mom's hand. Though I don't remember everything about those three weeks, I do remember my mom being at the hospital daily and being so thrilled when Caroline Grace finally got to come home.

This is a picture of the three of us from last Easter. On the left is my sister, Susanna who is 16, I am in the middle and on the end is our sweet Caroline who is no longer the frail one. She is smart, funny and very talented, and though I don't remember for certain it would be safe to assume that Susanna and I are laughing at something Caroline Grace had just said.

And So It Begins

Welcome to my first blog! I am using this opportunity to bring awareness to my platform, prenatal healthcare awareness. Since 1999 I have had a passion for the beginning of life. It is my true belief that the beginning of life is by far the most important, though many don't see it that way.

On January 8, 1999, Caroline Grace Bagwell, my sweet little sister was born six weeks prematurely and weighing only 2.5 pounds. My mother did everything right, she took her prenatal vitamins, she paid close attention to her health and wellness, but even that couldn't prevent my sister being born far too early and weighing much too little.

Caroline Grace is 13 and thriving now, but it has always made me wonder if my mom did what she was supposed to and this still happened, then what must it be like for mothers who can't, won't or just don't know what to do during pregnancy. Since then I have realized that some of life's greatest gifts come in the smallest of packages. Caroline Grace is one of the most precious "packages" the Lord has ever blessed our family with. She didn't come in the standard 7-9 pound packages, but she came in one much smaller but one that held so much more meaning!

I have been a participant of the Miss Alabama program for three years, and in the Miss Alabama/America program one must choose and support a platform of her choosing. When I decided to participate in this program, it was a "no brainer" when it came to deciding my platform issue.

I chose to support and promote the importance of healthy pregnancies, healthy babies and ultimately healthy families. I think that all three go hand in hand in hand. They work with one another to create a healthy family unit when you do everything in your power to bring a healthy baby into this world!

I look forward to sharing more about my platform and the journey it has taken to develop it to where it is now! So much more to come. I hope you enjoy!!