November: Prematurity Awareness Month

November is recognized as prematurity awareness month.  In the United States alone, 1 in 8 babies is born too early (before 37 weeks), which can lead to serious and lifelong health problems.   In honor of this month, I challenge you to take a few minutes and learn more about prematurity and how to prevent it.

Who is at risk for preterm labor?
While no one know for certain what causes preterm labor, certain risk factors can make a woman more likely than a woman without the risk factors to have preterm labor.  These risk factors include:

• Already having had a premature baby
• Getting pregnant again too soon after having a baby
• Being pregnant with multiples (two or more babies)
• Issues with your uterus or cervix
• Being under or over weight
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Drinking Alcohol
• Using drugss

It is important that you talk to your health care provider if you have any of these risk factors, as they can possibly offer you options to reduce your risk and improve your chances for a healthy pregnancy.

How premature can a baby be born and live?
There is no 'survival timeline' for babies born early.  Babies born after 23 weeks have a much higher chance of survival than those born before 23 weeks gestation.  About
9 out of 10 babies born at 28 weeks will survive, however many have serious health challenges. Babies before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy are considered premature. Since premature babies have less time to develop in the womb than babies who arrive on time, this puts them at greater risk of medical and developmental problems. Every extra day in the womb helps the baby develop and mature and likely improves his or her health and development later in life. Between 23 and 26 weeks, every extra day in the womb increases a baby's chance of survival by 2 to 4 percent.

How do I know if I'm in labor?
You'll know you're in labor if:

• You have strong and regular contractions that last 30 to 60 seconds and come 5 to 10 minutes apart.
• Your water breaks. When the bag of waters breaks you may feel a big rush of waters or you may feel just a trickle.
• You bleed a little from your vagina (bloody show).

If you think you're in labor, call your health care provider immediately, no matter what time of day or night!

 

 

For those of you interested on learning more about prematurity and what you can do to help in the fight for healthy, happy, FULL TERM babies, I encourage you to visit the March of Dimes website today. 

 

My thoughts and prayers go out this month to all the mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings and children affected by premature birth.  In particular, my heart goes out to Madeline's family, and I thank them for sharing their pain and sorrow with the world, and for inspiring me to learn more and do more to prevent premature birth.

 

Also, if you have a story or comment you'd like to share here, please do so.  The more we learn from one another, the better equipped we can be to move forward together, stronger.