Today is the first annual World Prematurity Day, coordinated by the March of Dimes. Today is also the release of the preliminary birth data from 2010. This is significant because its also reports on the rates of prematurity, which fell slightly to 11.99% of all births in the United States. This is the 4th straight year of declines for this number. This matches the March of Dimes Birth Report Cards released for each of the states earlier this month.
While many people have focused on prematurity being the tiniest of babies, one program that the March of Dimes has really worked on recently has been Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait. The goal is to ensure that every healthy pregnancy gets to at least 39 weeks of pregnancy, limiting early inductions and cesareans to only those that are medically necessary.
One story that I found very touching actually came from a friend of mine from high school. She and her brother were twins, born two months early. You can read her story here about what happened and how it's made her grateful for her sons. So today, spread the word about all types of prematurity. Let's celebrate our successes, grieve our losses and work hard to ensure that every pregnancy be a healthy one.
Related:
Photo © March of Dimes
World Prematurity Day originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Thursday, November 17th, 2011 at 17:06:47.
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