South Carolina gets a failing grade when it comes to premature births

South Carolina gets a failing grade when it comes to premature births, and most of the country isn’t making the grade either.  That’s according to a new premature birth report card released Wednesday by the March of Dimes.

South Carolina is one of 19 states that got an “F”, and is ranked 47th in the nation, with a pre-term birth rate of 15-point-6 percent.  Vermont is the only state in the country that got a “B” rating.  There were no “A’s” given.  The nation as a whole received a “D”.  According to the first of what will be an annual report from the March of Dimes, the number of premature births is a growing problem across the nation.  over five years,  researchers used census data and information from the department of health for this report.  Meredith Repik, executive director of March of Dimes calls the numbers alarming.  She says, “It’s very alarming and very shocking to our country that we have all these babies being born prematurely, and some of these babies don’t survive.“  Repik says the organization’s mission has been premature birth awareness for five years now,  but they need help to see better results. She says, “You can not in this day and time count on one organization to rescue premature birth.  We need legislators, we need companies, we need potential donors, donors, to all partner together to reduce premature births across our country.“

Adam Edwards knows first hand what it’s like to have a premature baby.  His son Legare was born four months premature.  Edwards says, “Our son was born just over 25 weeks.  He weighed one pound 11 ounces, and was 13 inches long.“  Legare was born after an emergency C-section.  He spent 118 days in MUSC’s neo- natal intensive care unit.  Edwards says, “He was on a respirator for three months had complications.  Thankfully the staff and facility here are so fine they were able to get him through those difficult times.  After just under four months, we were able to take him home.  He’s doing fine now.  He sees an occupational therapist occasionally and some speech therapists.“  Legare is nearly two now, and weighs around 20 pounds.  His dad says he hopes more action is taken to address this growing problem.  Adam Edwards says, “This problem is a problem that’s real.  It’s growing and it’s something that needs to get attention from not only just your average person, but from state and federal legislators, and companies that support charitable organizations.  It’s a problem that’s growing and if it’s not tended to, I think it will persist to get worse.  It affects every body.“

Dr. Roger Newman, is an expert in maternal fetal medicine.  He says late term premature babies suffer from a list of medical issues and are more likely to have life long chronic diseases, but there are some steps pregnant women can take to reduce risks. Dr. Newman says, “Early and adequate prenatal care, and attention to their nutrition, education about warning signs for pre-term births, advice to stop smoking and to stop smoking, those are all the elements of normal healthy good prenatal care and it makes the difference.“

According to the report, research continues on the cause of preterm births.  Some of the contributing factors for premature births are poor health care because some women do not have insurance, smoking, and induced labor.  Doctors say the rate is higher for African Americans.

For more information on premature births and what you can do to help, click here:  http://www.marchofdimes.com/