Thousands of moms joined the fight for preemies, and also stayed connected to the March of Dimes and each other to get the latest information on pregnancy health.
During November, Prematurity Awareness Month®, thousands of moms joined the fight for preemies on the Web, in local communities and on their blogs. With 13,200 blog posts, March of Dimes moms reached more than 3 million readers, helping spread the word on the serious problem of premature birth.
Also during November, the March of Dimes released our second annual Premature Birth Report Card, grading the nation and each state on its rate of premature birth. With the average grade of “D,” much work is needed to help make sure all babies born in America get the healthy start they deserve. In 2009 alone, 543,000 babies were born too soon in our country. Many suffer lifelong health problems, and some die.
The March of Dimes is addressing the problem from many angles: from funding lifesaving research to getting laws signed that will improve health care for women and babies. We educate and empower moms-to-be and are there to support families affected by premature birth.
Hollywood stars and celebrity moms and dads attended the 4th Annual March of Dimes Celebration of Babies luncheon in Beverly Hills on November 7. They showed their support for Prematurity Awareness Month and urged others to join the fight for preemies.
Having a baby can be overwhelming without the added stress of military life. The March of Dimes is there for military moms-to-be, with support and free pregnancy and newborn health information.
In 2009, we opened 17 new NICU Family Support® sites, including the first one in a military hospital. Parents of premature or sick babies at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va., now benefit from the same services offered to more than 75,000 families in 94 hospitals across the country each year. At the opening, military mom Jennifer Lehnen spoke about her own experience of having three premature babies: “When you step into the NICU, your power is completely gone. Finding information helped me forgive myself and move forward as the best mom I could be.”
At the same hospital, we treated moms whose babies were born too soon to the baby shower they missed. Operation Shower surprised the new parents with gift boxes filled with baby supplies, clothing and toys.
The March of Dimes continued to help more women stay connected to the latest information about pregnancy health through printed brochures and our Web sites. And with the surge in popularity of TwitterTM, Facebook and blogs, moms and moms-to-be also actively engaged with the March of Dimes and each other to share information and get messages on topics that matter most to them through the Pregnancy & Newborn Health Education Center®.
Whether they read daily pregnancy tips on Twitter or attached a badge or widget to their own Facebook pages, moms had access to a wide range of information before, during and after pregnancy. As one woman put it in her tweet, “Hey, are U following @marchofdimes? They give great info on prenatal care, vitamins, foods to eat and what to expect during preg.” [#bellizzima]
In May, Twitter named the March of Dimes as one of the Top 20 nonprofits to follow on Twitter. So what’s new for 2010? For starters, live pregnancy chats!
Moms fight for preemies
