November is Premature Awareness Month!
Today more than 1,400 babies in the U.S. will be born prematurely. Many will be too small and too sick to go home.
Instead, they face weeks or even months in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU). These babies face an increased risk of serious medical complication, and death.
The 2008 Petition for Preemies raises awareness of the crisis in premature birth and catapults the issue to the top of the health care agenda. In the United States today, more newborns die from premature birth than any other cause, and millions of children face serious health challenges or have trouble learning in school because they were born too soon.
The Petition for Preemies calls for the following:1. 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%u2019s 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.
2. We urge federal and state policymakers to expand access to health coverage for women of childbearing age and to support smoking cessation programs as part of maternity care.
3. We call on hospitals and health care professionals to voluntarily assess c-sections and inductions that occur prior to 39 weeks gestation to ensure consistency with professional guidelines*.
4. We call on businesses to create workplaces that support maternal and infant health.
If you support the Petition for Preemies please sign below. Your support is greatly appreciated!
"SOLUTIONS ARE WITHIN OUR GRASP" - MARCH OF DIMES
