Healthy Babies Are Worth The Wait!
November is Prematurity Awareness Month
Written by Erin Petrie
Prematurity Awareness Month
The March of Dimes has named November as Prematurity Awareness Month to focus attention on the serious problem of prematurity.
According to the March of Dimes, in the United States, 1 in 8 babies is born prematurely and worldwide, 13 million babies are born too soon each year. Florida received a "D" grade on the March of Dimes' annual Prematurity Report Card.
Prematurity is influenced by poor maternal health, smoking, lack of prenatal care and late pre-term births. Non-medically indicated deliveries before 39 weeks gestation have increased significantly in the past 10 years and are associated with increased NICU admissions, breathing and feeding problems, increased risk of infection and increased rates of C-sections and late preterm births. Much of the problem stems back to misconceptions about what constitutes a full-term delivery and the assumption that delivering after 36 weeks is safe.
The Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions (FAHSC), under the leadership of the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition, has begun implementation of a three-year statewide consumer education campaign in partnership with the March of Dimes. The campaign, called "Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait," highlights the importance of the last weeks of pregnancy, with the overall goal of reducing elective deliveries prior to 39 weeks gestation.
Banner ads can be downloaded here: Banner Ads - MOD 39 Weeks.
Recipes for a Healthy Pregnancy:
Visit the March of Dimes
39 Weeks Web site for more information.
You wouldn't rush your Thanksgiving dinner to the table, so why rush your baby's arrival?
Written by Erin Petrie
Prematurity Awareness Month
This November, families will gather around the table with friends and relatives to celebrate one of America's most important and symbolic holidays - Thanksgiving. Preparations for Thanksgiving dinner begin well in advance of the celebration and few would think of rushing this process. Yet, too often, families don't exercise the same patience when it comes to their pregnancies.
Many families today are choosing to schedule their deliveries early even if there is no medical need. This increases the likelihood that a baby will be born before he is full-term. According to recent studies, deliveries that are even a few weeks early-before 39 weeks- are associated with increased admissions to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), breathing and feeding problems, developmental delays and disabilities, and even death. Alarmingly, scheduled deliveries for normal, healthy pregnancies have increased by 50 percent in the past 10 years.
This November in observance of National Prematurity Awareness Month, the Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions (FAHSC) and the March of Dimes Florida are launching a statewide consumer education campaign, Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait, to raise awareness about the importance of the last weeks of pregnancy to healthy fetal development and reduced prematurity. Unless there is a medical need, waiting until labor begins on its own is best for both mother and baby.
To learn more about Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait, visit the March of Dimes 39 Weeks site.
Health advocate poses this question: Why is infant mortality still a U.S. problem?
Written by Erin Petrie and Annette Gardiner (source: 2011 Sleep Related Infant Death Report/Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies)
In an opinion piece published in conjunction with the American Public Health Assocation's national meeting, former APHA president Deborah Klein Walker poses the following question: Why is infant mortality still a U.S. problem?
The piece can be read here.
Walker points to four keyperiods in the lives of women and their children impact infant mortality: before pregnancy, during pregnancy, at birth and during the first year of life.
She also identifies key activities to help reduce infant mortality: teen pregnancy prevention programs, back to sleep programs, prenatal care, smoking cessation and funding for programs like Healthy Start and the Title V Maternal and Child Health block grant.
In Broward County, great strides have been made in reducing the infant mortality rate. But there still are many areas of concern, which are identified each year through the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review process.
The latest FIMR findings (in partnership with Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Broward County and the Children's Services Council) show that out of the 601 infant deaths, 81 of those deaths occurred while the baby was in an unsafe sleep environment or unsafe sleep position. These 81 deaths account for 13% of the deaths from 2006-2010. The data collected supports the need not only for revitalizing the "Back to Sleep" message, but for also expanding the scope to include other safe sleep messages. Reducing SIDS and sleep-related infant deaths has been identified as a priority goal of the Broward County Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Project and its Case Review and Community Action Teams. FIMR's ultimate goal is that all babies in Broward County will be put to sleep each and every time in a safe sleep environment.(Source: 2011 Sleep Related Infant Death Report).
Florida improves pre-term birth rating - from an "F" to a "D" grade
Written by Erin Petrie
Prematurity Awareness Month
Florida earned a "D" grade from the March of Dimes for its premature birth rate - an improvement from the "F" it has received for several years in a row.
The March of Dimes publishes grades yearly, using data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Prematurity is a leading cause of newborn death and can lead to lifelong complications.
November is National Prematurity Awareness Month.
The rate of babies born prior to 37 weeks in Florida decreased from 13.8 percent in 2008 to 13.5 in 2009.States are graded by comparing their individual rate of premature birth to the March of Dimes 2020 goal of 9.6 percent.
While the rate of uninsured women in the state increased, there were improvements in women smoking and late pre-term birth rates (34-36 weeks gestation).
There are three states - Louisiana, Missippi & Alabama - and one territory - Puerto Rico - that still have "F" grades. Only Vermont received an "A" grade. The nation as a whole - with a premature birth rate of 12.2 percent - was given a "C" grade.
Florida Stats:
- Goal: 9.6%
- Rate: 13.5%
- Grade: D
Find out more information about the March of Dimes' 2011 report card here.