Prematurity Awareness Day 2008

November is Prematurity Awareness Month and today is Prematurity Awareness Day. One in eight babies is born premature (before 37 weeks gestation), that's 520,000 babies each year, or 1,400 babies and families affected by prematurity today alone.

To give an idea of just how much more awareness needs to be raised about prematurity, just think of all the breast cancer information out there. According to the National Government, in 2006, an estimated 213,000 women were diagnosed. Why is there such a disconnect? While I believe breast cancer awareness is just as important - I think most people know that October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, why is prematurity still in the dark? These babies are our future!

With Precious Miracle always under foot, I never turn the news on, as I feel it's inappropriate to expose my child to adult topics. Although she is not really paying attention, I never know what day that will change. So today, while in the car alone, I listened to NPR and was just astounded by a report about premature birth. I have been waiting all day for there to be great recognition of the epidemic but it's not fair for me to really comment on the media's focus since I really haven't checked, read, listened to or watched any reliable news sources. That is with the exception of NPR. The report mentioned that my state, Pennsylvania, received a grade of "D" by the March of Dimes. This is the same grade as was given to the nation as a whole.

What infuriated me, was the "expert" from an insurance company who spoke of the ways women can reduce their risk of premature birth. The top of her list was dental care. For the average person listening to this report, the tone was that if you follow some very simple things, you will avoid preterm birth. It also insinuated that those who have experienced preterm birth didn't take care of themselves. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! And right here, right now, I plan to argue her points as it is not a "catch-all".

First of all, I go for dental cleanings and exams every six months. In fact, my last cleaning was this past Monday morning. I have healthy teeth and gums, brush with a Sonicare toothbrush and floss as regularly as I can. I still had a micro-preemie.

Her second point was prenatal care, which begins before you get pregnant, a means of preparing your body for the upcoming job of carrying the pregnancy. Well, let me say that since before Hubby and I even met, I was taking the recommended daily dose of folic acid. Talk about prepared, I most certainly was. Prior to our planning on starting our family, I stopped all prescription medications over the period of several months, had a pre-conception visit with my current group, went for blood work to confirm that I was not at risk for having a child with Cystic Fibrosis, confirmed that I was not a carrier for Factor V Leiden, a blood clotting disorder my husband has, and other genetic concerns that my doctor suggested I check just to be safe. It was all pretty standard from what I was told, with the exception of the Factor V. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I called to schedule my first prenatal appointment and never missed an office visit or scan. Still my daughter arrived at 24 weeks.

The next points were regarding smoking and drinking. First of all, I've never smoked. Second of all, Hubby and I are not big drinkers. I totally eliminated even the occasional glass of wine in the months before we conceived, and never took a sip of anything alcoholic during my six months of pregnancy. My Girl still came early.

The report made some additional points about making women aware of the signs of preterm labor. This I agree with. However, I think more listening needs to occur on behalf of the physicians and the literature for expectant parents needs to be very explicit in terms of what the signs are without the caveat that it's most likely "normal".

Moreover, I feel that the various causes beyond the points mentioned in the report, be better addressed and as a sufferer of cervical insufficiency, feel better screening tools should be implemented to potentially diagnose cervical issues in advance of the point of no return.

The March of Dimes has a "Petition for Preemies" and I am proud to say that I've electronically signed it. One of the key components of this Petition according to the March of Dimes website is the following:

"We urge the federal government to increase support for prematurity-related research and data collection as recommended by the Institute of Medicine and the Surgeon General’s Conference on the Prevention of Preterm Birth, to:
(a) identify the causes of premature birth;
(b) test strategies for prevention;
(c) improve the care, treatment and outcomes of preterm infants;
(d) and better define and track the problem of premature birth."

I am encouraging everyone to take a moment to support this very important cause. There was a widget I attempted to include below but after numerous attempts, kept getting an error message. So instead, please visit, http://www.marchofdimes.com/padpetition/index.aspx?a=1&z=1&c=1&l=en. It means a great deal not only to my family but to all the families affected by prematurity.

Furthermore, Johnsons Baby Products will donate 10 cents to the March of Dimes for every product purchased during the months of November and December.

Finally, here is a video I made documenting our prematurity journey. It can provide a little insight as to what the NICU road looks like. And, if you watch it, I'm sure you can see why we are so anxious to carry this Baby Boy to term. Just click this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaGOkjGWBGw