World Prematurity Day

Today is World Prematurity Day. Here are some facts that you may, or may not know about prematurity. If you know a preemie parent, hug them today.

-Preterm birth is the leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality in the United States, with an incidence of 12.8%.  That's 1 in 8 births.

-Premature birth is defined as any pregnancy that results in a live birth prior to 37 weeks gestation. November is Prematurity Awareness Month. Please support the March of Dimes and Fight for Preemies.

-Prematurity Awareness Fact of the Day: Did you know that Stevie Wonder was born premature and NOT blind? Because he was given high levels of oxygen to sustain his life, he developed ROP, or Retinopathy of Prematurity. Very premature babies don't have properly formed blood vessels in the retina and sudden exposure to oxygen is believed to cut off further blood vessel formation.

-Did you know a 22 weeker's foot is about 2inches long. A 30 weeker's is about the size of my pinky and a full term 40 weeker's is about the size of my palm/hand.

-Did you know that Joe Jonas, Miley Cyrus, Shaq and Michael J Fox were all born prematurely? Knowing things about prematurity will not stop it from happening, but raising awareness will help people understand more.

-Premature babies are more than just small babies. Many go on to have serious health issues after they leave the hospital...some don't even have a chance to leave the hospital.

-Preeclampsia affects 5-8%of women and about 0.42% of all pregnant women need to be delivered before 34 weeks because of severe preeclampsia.  As there are about 4 million births every year in the United States, preeclampsia results in 16,800 premature babies born before 34 weeks.