11.5% of pregnancies in the United States prematurely in the United States, that over 450,000 babies. Being born too early can cause a host of issues ranging from the death of your baby to life long learning problems. Even if your baby lives and has no problems that last lengthy periods of time, those early days and months in the NICU can leave their marks on families both in terms of the experience and in the costs associated with the care for preterm babies.
Every year the March of Dimes puts out a report card to let us know how the US is doing as well as the individual states. While we finally have a handful of states who score an A, the overall score in the US is a C. My state is a C with a 12.7% rate of prematurity.
November is National Prematurity Awareness Month and November 17th is World Prematurity Awareness Day. The will be hosting several Twitter chats this month on a variety of topics. I hope you'll stop by and join them at @MarchofDimes.
So what can you do to prevent prematurity for your baby? The first thing is to know the signs of preterm labor and to seek help immediately if you see any of them. It's better to call your midwife or doctor and be wrong, than to call too late. Other than that, get regular prenatal care, talk to your practitioner about concerns and get educated about the end of pregnancy.
What's your state's preterm rate? Have you ever had a scare of preterm labor?
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How many babies are born prematurely? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Monday, November 4th, 2013 at 09:27:02.
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