I walk to remember.

I'm a surviving mother who recently lost my first child, Madison Ann Bohn, to stillbirth at 37½ weeks gestation. She was born into heaven on Feb. 8, 2009.

I thought pregnancy was easy for all women. I am 35 years old, but was so naive about childbirth, even after reading all the books. After my 24-week checkup, I thought I was free and clear and my baby was going to be fine.

I went to every doctor's appointment, ate all the right foods, worked out and followed all doctor's orders. I was healthy and so was my precious little girl, until Feb. 6 when I didn't feel her moving around anymore.

I had just started my weekly doctor visits the previous Monday and my baby girl's heartbeat was 144 beats per minute. Why would there be any issues just five days later? When I called my doctor's office and notified them I hadn't felt any movement for over an hour after drinking a sugary drink, the nurse told me to go to Edward Hospital right away. When I arrived, they were all expecting me.

I was thinking to myself, "What is the rush? Everything is fine." If anything were wrong, they could do a C-section and my baby would be here three weeks early. Right?!

The nurse performed an ultrasound and that is when I was told there wasn't a heartbeat. Naturally, I didn't believe her! She called in the doctor along with three other nurses. That is when it was confirmed - no heartbeat! A specialist was called for a final confirmation. I was in shock and screaming, "My baby! My baby! I want my baby!" The specialist was silent, but the doctor said again, "She is gone."

The doctors and nurses began talking about being there to support us through this tragic time and guiding us through what we needed to be prepared for. They explained our options and helped us through the next day, before Madison was actually born. The nurses, doctors and volunteers from the Edward Hospital SHARE Program were truly wonderful. The best advice given to me was to take it "moment by moment." This really opened my eyes to just how precious the miracle of childbirth truly is!

This painful and tragic experience has opened up a whole new world for me. I now believe in spirits and angels and know my baby angel is watching over me every day.

Also, an unbelievable number of family, friends, co-workers and even strangers have shared their stories of loss with me. I knew this year I had to do something in memory of my Angel Madison and all the other baby losses I have heard about.