March 24, 2014 will always be meaningful to me.
That was the day my son Noah was born 6 weeks premature.
He weighed 5 lbs., 4 oz.
His birth was a much different experience than his 2 siblings before him.
I remember the doctors carrying him off and rushing him to the neonatal intensive care unit.
I couldn’t hold him or even see him.
All I could think of was my sweet Noah.
He spent a month and a half in NICU due to being underdeveloped.
Today Noah is a healthy 5 year old bundle of fun.
He’s 1 of the lucky ones.
Every year more than 22,000 premies die.
Previous premature deliveries, alcohol and drug use, certain prescriptions, and poor overall health can increase the risk of premature labor.
Some other reasons for premature labor can include:
• Placental abruption, where the placenta separates from the uterus during pregnancy.
• Incompetent cervix, where the cervix painlessly and gradually opens before it’s supposed to.
• Hormonal changes, which can stress the unborn baby or mother.
 • Infection.
Make sure to attend all well-visit appointments during pregnancy to stay on top of any issues that may arise.
The March of Dimes donates every year to help premature babies.
For more information and to donate to the March of Dimes visit www.marchforbabies.org/ .
Next week: Words have power