''I Want My Nine Months''; The March of Dimes Offers Practical Premature Birth Advice.DENVER -- As the March of Dimes
Birth less than 37 weeks after conception. Infants born as early as 23–24 weeks may survive but many face lifelong disabilities (e.g., cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness). . "Sadly, in more than half the cases, it isn't known why prematurity occurs," says Nadia Shamsuddin, program director of the March of Dimes Colorado chapter. "But we do know that there are steps a woman can take to try and avoid a premature birth." For a full nine months of pregnancy, the March of Dimes recommends that women work with their health providers to answer nine key questions: 1. How can certain conditions (like diabetes, high blood pressure or infections) affect my pregnancy? 2. How can certain medications (whether prescription or over-the-counter) affect my pregnancy? 3. How does taking a daily multivitamin mul·ti·vi·ta·min adj. Containing many vitamins. n. A preparation containing many vitamins. multivitamin with folic acid folic acid: see coenzyme; vitamin. folic acid or folate Organic compound essential to animal growth and health and needed by bacteria as a growth factor. (especially before pregnancy) help me have a healthy baby? 4. What is my ideal pregnancy weight? 5. How can I stay away from cigarettes, alcohol and illegal drugs? 6. How can I manage the stress in my life? 7. How long should I wait between pregnancies? 8. What if premature birth runs in my family? 9. What are the signs of preterm labor Preterm labor Labor before the thirty-seventh week of pregnancy. Mentioned in: Incompetent Cervix and how should I respond to them? Prematurity is when a baby is born three or more weeks early. Many have called it the nation's number-one infant-health problem. The leading cause of newborn death and many lifelong disabilities, prematurity is estimated to cost the nation's healthcare system $16 billion a year. Premature birth is also increasing. In 2003 (the most current statistical year), one in eight Colorado babies was born ahead of schedule. In 1993, the number was one out of ten. The March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign is a special initiative aimed at decreasing the rate of premature birth and raising awareness of the problem. To help achieve the latter goal, the organization hosts Prematurity Awareness Month in November. Information about Prematurity Awareness Month activities in Colorado may be found at marchofdimes.com/colorado. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes is a national nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects birth defects, abnormalities in physical or mental structure or function that are present at birth. They range from minor to seriously deforming or life-threatening. A major defect of some type occurs in approximately 3% of all births. , premature birth and infant mortality (hardware) infant mortality - It is common lore among hackers (and in the electronics industry at large) that the chances of sudden hardware failure drop off exponentially with a machine's time since first use (that is, until the relatively distant time at which enough mechanical . To achieve its mission, the March of Dimes funds research, education, community services and advocacy. Currently in Colorado, the March of Dimes funds nearly $1.4 million in healthy-baby programs. |
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