Prematurity Awareness Month Facts Everyone Should Care About
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 21:59
When my daughter was born 9 weeks early, I felt very alone. Prior to that day, I only knew of two people who had delivered preemies. One of them lived on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, and the other had given birth to their preemie when I was just a little girl. I had no idea there was such a thing as Prematurity Awareness Month, and I was only vaguely aware of what the March of Dimes did. Needless to say, I had very little idea how big a problem prematurity is in the United States, and I knew little about the longterm impacts of prematurity, aside from a few factoids about survival rates at various gestational ages that I had picked up in medical school. This is a pretty sad statement, considering I was well on my way to become a pediatrician when our little girl was born.
So, here are a few facts I think everyone needs to know, in order to fully appreciate the importance of Prematurity Awareness Month and why I’m Blogging for Prematurity Awareness.
- 1 in 8 babies born in the US are premature.
- That means that in 2005 522,913 babies were born premature. That is 12.7% of live births (data from Peristats).
- Preliminary data from 2006 indicate that these numbers are continuing to rise, with about 543,000 babies (12.8%) arriving too soon.
- According to the CDC, the preterm birth rate has increased more than 20% since 1990.
- In 2005, preterm birth cost the United States at least $26.2 billion, or $51,600 for every infant born preterm.
- Direct health care costs to employers for a premature baby average $41,610 —15 times higher than the $2,830 for a healthy, full-term delivery.
- This figure does not include the cost of lost productivity that results from preterm birth.
In addition, research is increasingly showing longterm medical, social and psychological problems in preemies as the journey through childhood, adolescence and into adulthood. These problems are even popping up in “healthy” preemies, and often don’t become evident until school age or later.
For more information and statistics related to prematurity, visit the March of Dimes website.
Kellie says:
November 12th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Hi, I am Kellie, and while I have not had a premature child, I have had dear friends who have gone through the struggle and watching this has brought a new awareness to me.
I am currently taken aback by these statistics as I learn more and more in my fact-finding mission. Prematurity is definitely on the rise and I applaud this blog for getting the word out.
People who have not experienced the struggle just have no idea what parents go through when this happens. My friends did it, and I cannot even begin to list their struggles. One thing I do know, for those interested in learning more like I am, is one book coming out called Blessed with Tragedy. It is written by the father and details the entire ordeal. I found it riveting.
Again, seeing this struggle firsthand and now volunteering to help around the world with the Early Journey Foundation, I am so glad people are talking about this. We have to get the word out as much as possible. This is a serious situation that no one is talking about. The dialog must begin.