Day 12: What do all these people have in common: Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Franklin Roosevelt, Mark Twain, Napoleon Bonaparte, Renoir, Churchill, Goethe, Wonder, D H Lawrence, Thomas Hobbes, Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Issac Newton, Charles Wesley and Eli??? They were all preemies (born before 37 weeks gestational)! November is prematurity awareness month, support March of Dimes!
Day 13: My heart is heavy today after the news that one of my friends baby (who wasn't yet born) passed away last week. And after talking to another mom this morning about the loss of her daughter many years ago...
March of Dimes focused its efforts on the prevention of birth defects and infant mortality, which became its mission (after curing Polio). In 1976, the organization changed its name to the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. In 2005, reducing the toll of premature birth was added as a mission objective.
The March of Dimes's isn't just about preemies... Prayers for these two special ladies...
Day 14: Premature birth is a complex problem with no single solution. More than half a million babies are born prematurely each year in the United States. In up to 40 percent of cases, the cause is unknown. March of Dimes researchers are seeking the causes of prematurity as a step toward developing ways to prevent it.
Eli was born due to preeclampsia.
Day 15: Dr. Virginia Apgar, the developer of the Apgar test EVERY BABY is given at birth, was the first medical leader at the March of Dimes to recognize prematurity as a serious problem that demanded a focus on the importance of early prenatal care and healthy pregnancy.
Day 16: Tomorrow is the first ever World Wide Prematurity Awareness day! All around the world people will unite and wear purple for preemies! You should wear purple and take a picture and post it for me! I am going to make a book of everyone wearing their purple!
Now for your fact...
Birth Statistics-
Premature born before 37 weeks
Moderately premature born between 35 and 37 weeks
Very premature born between 29 and 34 weeks
Extremely premature born between 24 and 28 weeks
Low birthweight baby weighs less than 2,500 g (5.5 lbs)
Very low birthweight baby weighs less than 1,500 g (3.0 lbs)
Extremely low birthweight baby weighs less than 1,000 g (2.2 lbs)
According to these stats... Eli was very premature and very low birthweight.
Day 17: This year, for the first time, a World Prematurity Day will be observed on November 17 by the March of Dimes along with organizations in Africa, Europe, and Australia. Worldwide, an estimated 13 million babies are born preterm and, of those, one million die as a result of their early birth, according to an October 2009 March of Dimes report on the global toll of preterm birth.
Today 2 years ago, I was admitted to the hospital for the second time. They basically told me I wouldn't leave till the baby was born... I thought I would sit there for 10 weeks... Little did I know!