March of Dimes is Disappointed

From ABC: Despite all our medical advances, about 12-and-a-half percent of babies in the United States are born prematurely -- and that rate is rising. That statistic comes from the March of Dimes, which is promoting "prematurity awareness month."

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services hopes to bring that rate down to 7-point-6 percent as part of its "Healthy People 2010" initiative.The March of Dimes graded each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

With the exception of Vermont, which rated a "B," every state earned a "C" or worse. Among other factors, the March of Dimes blames lack of health insurance, smoking mothers and rising rates of early induction and Caesarean sections.

I think more research needs to be done looking at why women are going into labor early. I was the correct weight, no diabetes, no other health concerns and I went into labor at 27 1/2 weeks. Fortunately, my labor was stopped after I was given magnesium and my son was born on time. However, doctors have no idea why this happened to me. Therefore, there is no real way to prevent this for some people. And there is really no proof that bed rest prevents women from going into labor. It's just one of the only things we can do that might help. Has anyone else had preterm labor?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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