Did you know that in the US, November is Prematurity Awareness Month? 1 in 9 babies is born prematurely in the US every year. This issue is not limited to just the US: nearly 500,000 babies every year worldwide are born too soon. The good news is that the US preterm birth rate has dropped to its lowest rate in 15 years; however the US still earns a grade of "C" on the March of Dimes 2013 Premature Birth Report Card.
Prematurity facts:
- Premature birth is the number one cause of death for newborns in the US.
- In addition to taking a high toll on families, premature birth costs society more than $26 billion a year.
- In the US, premature birth rate has risen by 36 percent over the last 25 years.
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recently redefined their definition of term pregnancy from 37 weeks to 39 weeks.
- In 2003, March of Dimes launched their Prematurity Campaign. Its goals are to raise public awareness of the problems of prematurity, and to decrease the rate of preterm birth in the United States.
To learn more about prematurity and how you can help, visit March of Dimes' Prematurity Campaign page.
As more neonatal intensive care units around the country are using pasteurized donor milk to help these medically fragile infants, the demand for donor human milk outpaces current supply. To become a donor, please visit TexasMilkBank.org.