When I found out I was pregnant with my third child, which surprisingly turned out to be twins, I never thought twice about having a preterm baby. I had carried two babies to 40 weeks and 1 day each. The first had come on his own (thankfully so, because he had a nukal chord and we had no idea how closely we came to losing him!) and the other had to be “evicted.”
So, the idea of having micro preemie babies never even crossed my radar.
Since my girls were born and I experienced what 84 days like is in the NICU, I have become a huge advocate for the March of Dimes, the lead organization for reduction and prevention of preterm birth, birth defects, and infant death. Today, November 17th, is World Prematurity Awareness Day. I’m posting a great article the March of Dimes shared: Are You at Risk for Preterm Birth?
I sure never dreamed I was.
I wrote more about our story in 2012.
Are you at risk for premature birth?
The March of Dimes says these three risk factors make you most likely to have preterm labor and give birth early:
1. Prior premature birth: You’ve had a premature baby in the past.
2. Multiples: You’re pregnant with twins, triplets or more.
3. Cervical or uterine problems: Problems with the structure or function of your cervix or uterus.
Have you had a premature baby in the past? Are you pregnant with twins or other multiples? Do you have problems with your cervix or uterus? If so, you are more likely to give birth early.
Other risk factors include:
- Family history
- Weight
- Maternal health conditions
- Smoking
- Stress
- Maternal Age
- Rage/ethnicity
There are a few other factors too.
I highly encourage you to head over to the March of Dimes article Are you at Risk for Premature birth? and read the entire article.
I’m also sharing a bit more about our experience at Columbia Mom’s Blog today.
katbiggie
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Janine Huldie says
November 17, 2014 at 7:18 amI never thought I could be either and then when I was pregnant with Lily, I not only was but so fearful for it with my own high risk and placental issues. I thank god that it all worked out, but I know many others aren’t as lucky and thank you always for sharing and educating us all just that much more. Seriously, can’t say that enough!
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another jennifer says
November 17, 2014 at 12:16 pmI never thought about premature birth either. Both my boys were early, but only by one and two weeks. I wish doctors would have more conversations about these risks. Thank you for raising awareness, as per usual, Alexa.
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katbiggie says
November 18, 2014 at 1:49 pmThank you for coming and reading it! 🙂