Today the March of Dimes released their Prematurity Report Card for the United States as they look towards honoring World Prematurity Awareness Day on November 17th. Overall the United States earns a C in the battle against early birth when you look at factors like:
- prenatal smoking
- health care coverage in pregnancy
- later preterm birth rates
The March of Dimes grades each state and you can look at the data for where you live in better detail on their website. While they continue to fight nationally and globally, my job is to get you to think about how this effects your pregnancy personally. What can you do to ensure your baby's best chance of going to term? Do you know what your risk is of preterm birth? Have you asked about the signs of preterm labor? Are you clear on the guidelines of when an induction is medically indicated, particularly prior to 39 weeks? These are things you need to be educated about to protect your baby.
Related:
How will you fight prematurity? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 at 08:07:53.
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