Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death worldwide.
The United States scored a D on the 2010 premature birth report card. No state in the U.S. scored higher than a C.
These are sobering statistics, and ones we were oblivious to until July, when our babies were born too soon.
November 17 is Prematurity Awareness Day, and today I am joining hundreds of others bloggers who are uniting to make a difference. Those of you who have been following the blog are probably much more aware today of the challenges facing premature babies. I know we are. But prematurity is an issue that affects many more people than our family — and many are not as fortunate as us in the outcome.
November 17 is Prematurity Awareness Day, and today I am joining hundreds of others bloggers who are uniting to make a difference. Those of you who have been following the blog are probably much more aware today of the challenges facing premature babies. I know we are. But prematurity is an issue that affects many more people than our family — and many are not as fortunate as us in the outcome.
Micro-preemies like Colin and Veronica face the greatest threat from their premature birth, but even babies born just a few weeks too soon can face serious health challenges and are at risk of lifelong disabilities.
Babies are born early for a variety of reasons, only a very few of which are within the mother's control. Most preemies are born to mothers who did all they could to have a healthy pregnancy. Mothers like me. Yet our babies still come too soon.
No one understands why some babies, like Colin, suffer from intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Yet. And while the research done tomorrow won’t make a difference to Colin, it could save the life of someone else’s child.
We were lucky. Both our babies survived their early birth and seem relatively untouched by their experience. Many parents won’t be as fortunate.
If you want to help make a difference in the lives of these future children, I encourage you to support the March of Dimes [http://www.marchofdimes.com/giving.html]. Their Prematurity Research Initiative is working to unlock the causes of prematurity so that we can find a way to prevent it. So that other babies and their families do not have to travel on a Preemie Journey of their own.
So glad to have found you through Bloggers Unite: Fight for Preemies. I have boy-girl micro-preemie twins, too (24-weekers). They share a birthday with Prematurity Awareness Day — today, November 17. I felt that was such a unique coincidence, that I created a new website of the journal I kept during their five-month NICU stay. It's called Mike&Ollie: 24-weekers Who Beat the Odds. I hope our efforts help raise our grade on the Prematurity Report Card.
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of the March of Dimes, I want to thank you for sharing your story today, and for your support in the fight against prematurity. I am glad that Colin and Veronica are doing well. With our collective efforts, we will continue getting the word out and fighting for Preemies...everywhere.
ReplyDeleteOn a very personal level, while I was aware of the "pain" of having premie babies, I did not REALLY know how scary it is, nor how much daily pain there is wondering what the next day, even the next hour, might bring. I am grateful, even tho it has been painful, to be learning to Carry Others Burdens more.
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