Sidelines National Support Network  / Volunteer Spotlight  / August_Volunteer

Volunteer of the Month
August 2007
Michelle Flannagan

Sidelines volunteer Michelle Flannagan with her twins, Declan and Anna

Name: Michelle Flannagan
Home: Danvers, Massachusetts
Husband's Name: Tom
Children's Names and Ages: Anna and Declan, age 5

"Try to remain positive, and accept any help when offered, whether it be from family, friends, or neighbors."

For Michelle Flannagan, one of the frustrating experiences of pregnancy bedrest was not being able to jump up and down when the New England Patriots won their first Super Bowl.

Michelle watched the game from an inverted position in a hospital bed, where she stayed for several weeks as she tried to keep her twins from arriving prematurely. "I could only kick my feet a little," she said about her post-game celebration. "At least I think I did. Since I couldn’t see them, who knows?"

Twenty-three weeks into her pregnancy, Michelle experienced premature rupture of her membranes, also known as PROM. She was admitted to the hospital, where she was administered antibiotic and steroid treatments to help keep her from delivering her son and daughter too soon. After being hospitalized on bedrest for the next five weeks, Michelle gave birth to her twins at 29 weeks.

Michelle joined Sidelines on her third week of bedrest after reading about the organization in her twin pregnancy book. "I thought it would be nice to connect with someone who had been through what I was going through," she said.

After the twins were born, Michelle became a Sidelines volunteer to help others experiencing complicated pregnancies. She became close friends with one of her referrals, even vacationing at Universal Orlando with the referral and her family.

She urges her referrals to take advantage of the help offered by others, including family members, friends, and neighbors.

A systems analyst at a hospital, Michelle is active in her local Twins Club and enjoys scrapbooking—although she admits that with twins, it’s difficult to find spare time!