In honor of Prematurity Awareness Month, All About Women was a proud sponsor of recent The March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction that took place in Lake City on November 19th.
Founded by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938 and originally known for its quest to help end polio, the March of Dimes has shifted its focus to the surprisingly prevalent problem of infant prematurity – the number one cause of deaths in infants and children in the United States. An estimated one in ten babies born in the US are premature, leading to significant health risks for baby and emotional stress for families.
Held by The March of Dimes chapters across the country during the month of November, Signature Chef auctions feature the local talent of chefs and culinary artists preparing fine cuisine for attendees, who sample food and then participate in a live auction to support the March of Dimes organization.
The goal of the March of Dimes is to lower the national preterm birth rate from its current 9.6% to 8.1% by 2020 and 5.5% by 2030. Achieving this goal by 2030 would equal approximately 1.3 million fewer babies born preterm. To solve this problem, The March is working with doctors, advocates and researchers to:
- Seek unknown causes of preterm birth and ways to prevent it.
- Increase best practices in pregnancy care including birth spacing, use of progesterone for women at risk of preterm labor, and avoiding elective c-sections before 39 weeks.
- Improve maternity care and infant health outcomes.
- Provide information and support for families dealing with prematurity- including at our own North Florida Regional NICU.
At All About Women, our OB/GYNS and midwives work hard to ensure that our expectant mothers in Lake City, Gainesville and the surrounding areas have supportive high-quality pregnancy care. We encourage you to talk to us at any point if you have questions about signs of early labor, elective c-sections or high-risk pregnancies.
