Dear Friend,

Autumn is here, and we at the March of Dimes hope it will be a time of healing for our nation. Gulf Coast areas affected by the late summer hurricanes are undergoing clearing and cleaning, and are readying for rebuilding. Millions of Americans, and friends around the world, have reached out to help mend the lives of those affected. Deep thanks once more to the many of you who supported our own ongoing efforts to help mothers and new babies in the region. Specific activities we're pursuing with our Hurricane Assistance Fund include:

• Providing prenatal care and counseling for pregnant women and organizing and deploying outreach workers and trained health professionals where needed.
• Obtaining a mobile prenatal care van to bring care to pregnant women and babies in shelters and others who lack access to regular health care facilities.
• Continuing to develop new, updated health education specifically designed for pregnant women and for new mothers displaced from their homes.
• Expanding the March of Dimes program to provide support and comfort for the families of sick and premature babies in hospital neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in affected areas.
• Delivering multivitamins with folic acid to women of childbearing age and pregnant women to reduce the risk of neural tube defects.
• Making infant and child vaccinations available for hospitals, schools, shelters, clinics, and in other convenient locations.
  

With your help, the March of Dimes will continue to fund research that will lead to new medical breakthroughs. Together, we can help to find answers so more babies will be saved.

Call your health care provider (nurse, doctor or midwife) or go to the hospital right away if you think you're having preterm labor, or if you have any of the warning signs. Call even if you have only one sign.

Your health care provider may tell you to: 

• Come into the office or go to the hospital for a checkup.
• Stop what you're doing. Rest on your left side for one hour.
• Drink 2-3 glasses of water or juice (not coffee or soda).

If the symptoms get worse or do not go away after one hour, call your provider again or go to the hospital. If the symptoms get better, relax for the rest of the day.

For more information, go to Treatment of Preterm Labor

NEWS FROM THE MARCH OF DIMES

Number of Babies Born Prematurely Nears Historic Half Million Mark in U.S.

Nearly a half million American babies were born prematurely in a single year, according to a recent government report, putting them at increased risk for death and disability.

Some 12.3 percent of all babies – 499,008 infants -- were born prematurely (less than 37 weeks gestation) in 2003, according to the report released by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). That’s up from 12.1 percent (or about 480,000 babies) in 2002 – and an increase of more than 30 percent since the government began tracking premature births in 1981. The prematurity rate was 9.4 in 1981; it has increased every year since then except for slight dips in 1992 and 2000.

New Research Shows Folic Acid In Grains Has Reduced Birth Defects

March of Dimes Calls on FDA to Increase Fortification Levels to Save More Babies

Folic acid fortification of grain foods has produced a one-third decline in serious birth defects of the brain and spine, but the March of Dimes urged federal officials to help spare a greater number of babies from these devastating conditions by requiring higher levels of the B vitamin.