National Birth Defects Awareness Month
Thursday, January 03, 2008
JC Jones MA RN
Prematurity is the leading cause of death in the first month of life and the rate of premature births has risen 20% since 1990. The March of Dimes wants us to know this is an infant health crisis.
The US Surgeon General and the March of Dimes are hosting a 2008 Conference to develop a national agenda to prevent preterm labor and delivery. Preterm labor is labor that begins before 37 weeks of gestation.
Preventing birth defects is one of six public health priorities of the US Surgeon General. Babies who leave the safety of their mother's womb too soon are at increased risk for:
- Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)
- feeding difficulties
- delayed brain development
- jaundice
- hypothermia
Babies born even a few weeks early are six times more likely to die during their first week of life than pre-term babies. Consider making a donation to March of Dimes Banding Together Campaign and purchase a virtual band on behalf of a premature infant.
Premature birth is now the #1 cause of infant death.
Thank you Nomadicentrepreuner for use of photo of little Ella.
Labels: birth defects, infant death, prematurity, preterm labor
2 Comments:
At Fri Jan 04, 07:00:00 AM 2008,
carey said…
Hi JC,
Thanks for helping to increase awareness of the devastating affects of prematurity. Have you ever looked at kick counting as a safe & effective way for moms-to-be to help decrease the risk of preterm birth?
Let me know if you'd like to learn more, or check out www.babykickalliance.org.
Carey
carey@blastmedia.com
At Thu Jan 24, 01:52:00 PM 2008,
March of Dimes Team Youth said…
WalkAmerica is now March for Babies!
You may have heard the news…March of Dimes has changed the name of our signature event, WalkAmerica. It’s now called March for Babies. Our new name makes it very clear who we’re walking for ― all babies.
Help your readers stay informed. Please update your blog with the new name and logo anywhere the WalkAmerica event is mentioned…every mention of our new event name helps spread the word about our name change and our new look.
Visit our Web site at www.marchforbabies.org/SpreadtheWord for our new logo and other materials to help us spread the word.
While our event name is different, our mission remains the same. March of Dimes is still the champion for babies – raising funds needed for research and programs that make a difference in the lives of babies and their families.
We appreciate your interest in the March of Dimes. Please don’t hesitate to e-mail our Media Representative mediainquiries@marchofdimes.com if you have any questions about our new name or our event.
One day all babies will be born healthy, but we have to walk to get there.
Thank you,
March for Babies Team
P.S. To read the March for Babies launch release, please visit here: http://www.marchofdimes.com/aboutus/22663_28214.asp
March of Dimes Foundation
1275 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains, NY 10605
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