Not only does smoking make it harder for a woman to conceive, tobacco use during pregnancy increases the rate of stillbirth, preterm birth, birth defects, low birth weight and infant mortality. Despite this information, some states have consistently high rates of women who smoke while pregnant. Many pregnant women know it’s best to stop…
When a 2014 report showed one child almost every three days in Virginia died related to a preventable unsafe sleep environment, leaders at the Virginia Department of Health knew it was time to take action. “Everyone wants their baby to thrive, but too many people don’t know the risk factors and protective measures for safe…
Many vital systems, such as the lungs and brain, complete their development during a baby’s last weeks of gestation. So, when a baby is born preterm (before 37 weeks) there is an increased risk of health-related complications and infant mortality. Because nearly 1 in 10 babies is born preterm in the United States, reducing preterm births is…
In the past few months, you may have seen increasing attention around the use in the U.S. of Finnish baby boxes to promote safe sleep environments. Some are hailing it as the solution to the U.S. infant mortality problem. But, the circumstances around the success of baby boxes in Finland are much different than in…
I almost died last week. (OK, maybe that is a little dramatic.) I was at work, responding to emails when I saw the notification light on my cell phone. Like a Pavlovian dog, I quickly swiped my password, tapped the alert and the email with the picture popped open. As much as I hate the…
Although great strides have been made in recent years, infant mortality remains a problem in the United States. The infant mortality rate has declined – dropping 13 percent between 2005 and 2013 – while still leaving the U.S. far behind many industrialized nations. One of the difficulties in addressing this crisis has been the multitude…
This series focuses on how states are reaching underserved populations as part of the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality. While the country’s rate of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has dropped by more than 50 percent over the past two decades, SIDS continues to claim the lives of about 1,500 U.S. infants each…
Data sharing is one of the most significant barriers between city and state health departments when it comes to reducing infant mortality. States and cities accumulate a great deal of data at various levels on birth outcomes and maternal care, but they don’t always make it readily available to each other. “In some instances, states…
Rooming-in is an evidence-based practice that promotes keeping healthy newborn babies and their mothers together in post-labor recovery rooms. It reflects a recent change in practice and policy for many hospitals, and is partially based on recommendations in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and the increased movement toward earning Baby-Friendly designation in…
With the proliferation of social media sites, 24-hour news stations and niche hobby/topic websites, getting attention for a cause these days is certainly a challenge. The healthcare sphere is not immune to this. Each month there are multiple topics competing in celebration of their national awareness month. Consumer inboxes are besieged with countless email blasts…