The March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign, now in its second year, is dedicated to raising prematurity awareness and reducing the rate of premature births. Prior to the campaign, a survey revealed that only 35% of individuals considered prematurity a very serious problem. The goal is to increase that percentage to 60% by 2007.
Premature birth has been an increasing problem over the past two decades. There is still much to learn about its causes and how it can best be detected and prevented. The average hospital charges for newborns without complications are $1300. For babies born with a primary diagnosis of prematurity, these costs average $75,000. All health care payers share this cost.
The biggest risk factor for premature delivery is a previous premature delivery. Other risk factors include multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets, etc.), uterine problems and lifestyle factors (no prenatal care, smoking, drinking alcohol, maternal stress, standing for long periods of time on daily basis).
While there are tests that can evaluate the risk for preterm delivery they are not always reliable. Women who are pregnant need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of preterm labor.
They include:
Women experiencing any of these symptoms should call their health care provider
immediately. For more information visit the March of Dimes website at www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity
or contact Linda Schoene, Parish Nurse.