“Triplets being born in the movie can focus the spotlight on multiple births, which are six times more likely to be preterm,” said Deborah Kersting, Missouri Executive Director of the March of Dimes.  March of Dimes invests $5 million in Missouri to improve the health of babies through community services, education, research, and advocacy.

 Dr. Kelly Ross, Director of Pediatric Hospitalist Medicine at Missouri Baptist Hospital, Clinical Instructor at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and mother of triplets, helped organize the event.  She noted that there are over 7,000 triplets born in the United States each year and virtually all of them are premature. While the movie is a fun event, raising triplets is hard.  “Like Fiona, it takes a forest full of characters to raise happy, healthy triplets,” Ross said.  Three-quarters of triplets spend their first days in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU).  Many of those infants have long-lasting health issues.

 Contest judging will be conducted in the lobby of the Des Peres Cine about 30 minutes before the start of the 3:45 showing.  The triplets who most resemble the Shrek triplet babies will receive SHREK figures from March of Dimes as well as movie passes from Wehrenberg Theaters.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish Web site at nacersano.org.  The Missouri Chapter’s Web site is marchofdimes.com/Missouri.