During November, Prematurity Awareness Month®, March of Dimes volunteers encouraged people to sign the 2008 Petition for Preemies. Leading the charge was Susan Aboulhouda, mom to 6-year-old Catharine, who was born extremely premature and served as the 2008 March of Dimes National Ambassador. Celebrity moms who care about the cause of healthy babies were among 118,000 people who signed.
On November 12, Prematurity Awareness Day®, the March of Dimes followed up with a report card that scores the country and each individual state on its rate of premature birth. The results? America is failing many of our babies.
With a “D” average, we have a long way to go to meet the Healthy People 2010 goal of 7.6 percent — or 1 in 13 babies. Today, 1 in 8 babies is born too soon. But working together, we can change this. The report cards, supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics and dozens of other health organizations, come with practical recommendations how.
The March of Dimes is advocating in support of expanded federal funding for research to understand the causes of premature birth and find solutions.
Policymakers at the state and federal levels are being urged to improve health coverage for all moms-to-be and babies.
Hospitals, too, can play a role, through strict control of c-sections for non-medical reasons.
And there are many things businesses can do to create a maternity-friendly work environment.
For a first-time mom, pregnancy, labor and delivery and ultimately taking care of a brand-new baby are unknown territory. This is an exciting time when every woman can use a good friend — someone who has been there and knows the answers to all those questions. With the most up-to-date information, marchofdimes.com and nacersano.org are great resources for moms and moms-to-be.
Sometimes you just want someone to show you. On YouTube, pregnant women and new moms can watch our Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy Baby series and learn about anything from smart food choices when you’re expecting to breastfeeding and diapering your newborn. The series is informative, fun and already a big hit. The first videos were posted in October and received 17,000 views in just two months.
This summer, Betty Taylor addressed the Surgeon General’s Conference on Preterm Birth, convened as called for in the PREEMIE Bill. Betty’s son Zeek, the 2007 March of Dimes Ambassador, was born 14 weeks too soon and struggled to survive. We helped lead the conference and worked with other experts to outline a plan to help more moms go full term.
Recommendations were made in the areas of research, education, awareness and advocacy and improving access to and quality of health care. With the surgeon general, the March of Dimes urges everyone to make the prevention of premature birth a national public health priority.
A Strong Voice for Preemies
