Notes from the Parish Nurse - Prematurity Awareness Month

Since 2003 the March of Dimes has designated November as Prematurity Awareness Month. The goal of their Prematurity Campaign is to reduce rates of premature births in the United States and to raise awareness that this is a serious and costly problem. The focus is not only on the preterm birth rate, but also reflects the state of maternal infant health in the US. 

“Premature birth is a birth that happens too soon, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Babies born this early may have more health problems or may need to stay in the hospital longer than babies born later.” Long term health problems for preemies can have lasting financial effects on the family and later in life can affect a child’s education, and an adult’s ability to work. Some of the health problems might be cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, jaundice, chronic lung disease, blindness, and hearing loss. 

“Even babies born at 36-38 weeks of pregnancy can struggle in school.” A baby’s brain is still developing and growing during the last few weeks of pregnancy. At 35 weeks a baby’s brain weighs only two-thirds of what it will weigh at 39-40 weeks. If a woman’s pregnancy is healthy, it is best for her to stay pregnant for at least 39 weeks. This extra time gives a baby’s brain and other organs time to develop before birth. Studies and research encourage women and their medical caregivers NOT to schedule inductions or Cesarean births early unless there are problems with the pregnancy. 

A premature birth can happen to any pregnant woman. The March of Dimes is studying what causes premature births and how they can be stopped. “We know it’s possible for women to have healthy pregnancies, but the US remains among the most dangerous developed nations in which to give birth.” One in 10 babies born in the United States will be premature, for a total of over 380,000 premature births a year, or 10.4% of all births. That is “an alarmingly high preterm birth rate...” 

In conclusion, the two main goals of the March of Dimes is to raise public awareness of the problems of prematurity and to decrease the rate of premature births in the United States. The Prematurity Campaign: 

• Funds research of the causes of premature birth

• Encourages testing of promising interventions 

• Educates women in regard to risk-reducing strategies and signs of preterm labor 

• Provides information and emotional support to families affected by prematurity 

• Advocates for health care coverage that will improve maternity care and infant health outcome 

• Helps healthcare providers detect and address risk factors 

Statistics and quotations from www.marchofdimes.org