Anthro Doula: World Prematurity Day

Did you know that no one knows why some babies are born premature? The exact cause remains unknown.

Some things are associated with the risk of preterm labor and birth, but correlation does not equal causation. These include infection, placental abruption and bleeding, multiples, a short cervix, and too much amniotic fluid. Young or old mothers are at increased risk, as are women who have had a previous preterm birth. It has also been associated with women who are unmarried, low-income, and African American.

EDIT: I just found a recent study published in the Lancet that found that the following five interventions can reduce the preterm birth rate from about 9.6% of live births to 9.1% and save $3 billion in the process:

1.Discouraging elective C-sections and labor inductions unless there’s a compelling medical reason
2. Reducing the number of embryos transferred during fertility treatment
3. Helping pregnant women give up smoking
4. Providing women with high-risk pregnancies with progesterone supplementation
5. Performing cervical cerclage, a minor surgical procedure, on pregnant women with short cervixes

Many people don’t realize the statistics of preterm birth: 15 million babies are born preterm around the world every year—that’s 1 in 10. More than 1 million babies die due to complications of preterm birth and many of those who survive face a lifetime of disability.

The U.S. map is looking a bit different than it was last year. This year there is more than 1 state that has an "A"! But, the same four states still have an "F"