Dear Friend,

Hi. My name is David and I will be the new Miracles editor in the coming years. 2004 was an exciting year for the March of Dimes. The 50th anniversary of the Salk polio vaccine field trial gave focus to how far we have come. Our campaign to defeat prematurity advanced, and on Prematurity Awareness Day buildings and landmarks across the U.S. were bathed in pink and blue to remind the nation about the crisis in premature births. We introduced an online community, marchofdimes.com/share, to enable families to connect, share and support each other when their babies must spend time in neonatal intensive care. WalkAmerica 2005 will take place at the end of April. Besides helping in our fight to save babies, it's a fun day with new and old friends. If you've never participated…give it a try.

This month's Personal Spotlight features the story of TJ, who was born at 25 weeks. Because you are part of the March of Dimes family, we're sharing this story with you. Also in the newsletter, you'll find information about:

Breastfeeding

Breast milk is the best food for a baby during the first year of life. Breastfed children have fewer ear infections, fewer allergies and fewer childhood cancers than formula-fed children. Breastfeeding also benefits moms. Women who breastfeed receive some protection from breast and ovarian cancer. Breastfeeding is a natural skill, but it is also a learned skilled. Be patient and give yourself (and your baby) time to master this new task.

Find out more about what you need to know from our
Pregnancy & Newborn Health Education Center.^®

Study Shows, Outlook Is Bleak for the Smallest Premature Babies: 80 Percent Have Impairment

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., JAN. 6, 2005 -- Death or severe cognitive and neuromotor impairment are common outcomes among extremely premature infants (fewer than 26 weeks' gestation), according to a British study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

"Prematurity is a common, serious problem in America and unfortunately, the number of preterm births is rising each year," said Scott D. Berns, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP, vice president for chapter programs of the March of Dimes. "Too many babies are born extremely premature in this country, and the result is that many of them die in the hospital or suffer lifelong consequences, including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, chronic lung disease, blindness and hearing loss."

The March of Dimes says that more research is needed if we are to reduce this trend.

March of Dimes and Coinstar Form New Partnership to End Infant Prematurity

BELLEVUE, Wash. Dec. 6, 2004— The March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the health of infants by preventing birth defects and infant mortality, together with Coinstar, Inc., announced a new nationwide effort to raise funds to end prematurity, the number one health risk for American newborns. Coinstar machines will be placed in Supermarkets nationwide to collect funds for much-needed research.