Sidelines National Support Network  / Volunteer Spotlight  / November_Volunteer

Volunteer of the Month
November 2007
Anne Alphonso

Sidelines volunteer Anne Alphonso

Name: Anne Alphonso
Home: Winston Salem, North Carolina
Husband's Name: Irin
Children's Names and Ages: Ashton, 20; Allison, 19; Michael, 17

"Relax, this too shall pass. Just keep an eye on the prize at the end."

Anne Alphonso says it's "too long ago to remember" just when she started as a Sidelines volunteer. One thing is for sure, however—she wishes Sidelines had been around when she was dealing with her own complicated pregnancies.

Anne, a registered nurse, was "sidelined" at 18 weeks while pregnant with her first child, Ashton, who is now 20 years old. She took ritadrine until 37 weeks and delivered at 39 weeks.

When Anne became pregnant with daughter Allison, now 19, she started bedrest at 34 weeks and took terbutaline until she delivered at 36 weeks. She was diagnosed with a heart murmur when she was pregnant with Michael, now 17, and was on bedrest until he was born at 34 weeks.

Boredom, sleep deprivation, and isolation are the three things that Anne remembers most about being on bedrest. Now she supports other moms-to-be dealing with the same issues, and says that all of her referrals have been very grateful to have someone to talk to who understood their situations.

In her spare time, Anne enjoys knitting, watching her children, and participating in church activities.