It’s truly a humbling experience to receive the number of miles people pledge. I know the effort it takes to jump on your bike and roll down the road. To have those miles pledged toward our goal to raise awareness to the Infant Mortality Rate is not taken lightly. For this past week we had a total of 480.78 miles in pledges. Some of the miles came via walking, road, mountain, and carriage. It’s an amazing number…thanks to everyone who contributed.
The iRide4Shiloh campaign is my BIG idea for 2012 to raise donations for March of Dimes and raise awareness to the Infant Mortality Rate. My son, Shiloh Stone Maxwell Adams was born January 10, 2007 (16 weeks before his scheduled due date). We celebrated Shiloh turning 5 this year and thought this campaign would be an amazing way to honor his memory and celebrate his life.
Many of you may be familiar with March of Dimes and it’s role in fighting pre-term births. You may also know about the 1 in 8 pre-term birth statistic, and you’ve probably heard that for more than 70 years, the March of Dimes has saved millions of babies and children from death and disability through it’s lifesaving research and innovative programs. However, what at times is lost in the headlines or pushed to the back page of the news is that not every child born prematurely will survive. In fact, nearly 7 of 1,000 births end in death, with the number increasing almost twofold for minorities. Studies indicate premature birth is a factor in more than two-thirds of infant deaths and the U.S. preterm birth rate has gone up since 2000.
When I read the medical and social studies, the common theme seems to center on women and health. Obesity among women continues to rise and we’ve all read about chronic diseases and the link to obesity. A baby is at risk of being born early when the mother suffers from high blood pressure, stress, diabetes, etc. Research and technology is great when it comes to the fight against pre-term birth, but so much of it is designed post birth in an effort to keep your child alive. Unfortunately, for my son, it was not enough.
Losing weight goes a long way to helping not only you, but the unborn child. This brings me back to March of Dimes and its Prematurity Campaign. The money that you donate will help educate women about risk-reduction strategies and advocate to expand access to health care coverage to improve maternity care and infant health outcomes. The information that you share will help bring someone to realize that choosing a healthier and more active lifestyle could not only save a life, but the life of a child. Oh, don’t forget to mention how getting in shape makes it easier to run after that toddler or take them to the park.
This campaign is for everyone and of course, everyone who takes part, as well as completing a personal challenge ride/walk/run pledge, will be helping us raise awareness about health and fitness can reduce the Infant Mortality Rate and helping us to raise funds to fight pre-term births.
The sunrise is making it’s way through the night, the wind is non-existent, it’s a cool 67 degrees, and a wide-open country road. Let’s ROLL OUT!!!!!
Chronic diseases in the mother, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and asthma, have been associated with poor birth outcomes. There is growing evidence that periodontal disease, which affects many women of childbearing age, can increase the odds of preterm delivery. The time before conception is the optimal point at which these conditions can be identified and managed in order to improve a woman’s chances of giving birth to a healthy child. Such measures might also lessen black/white discrepancies in infant mortality, since African American women are more prone to suffer from some conditions that affect birth outcomes, such as high blood pressure (Johnson et al., 2008).
It’s important to increase awareness among prospective parents that good decision-making begins before their babies are born. Drugs, and some medicines can compromise their babies’ well-being. They also need to know about positive behaviors that can promote their babies’ health, including good nutrition. For example, some birth defects involving the brain and central nervous system, including anencephaly and spina bifida, may be prevented when the mother takes a vitamin that includes folic acid prior to and early in her pregnancy (March of Dimes, 2008).
Racial and socioeconomic disparities in rates of preterm birth and infant mortality are among the most widely recognized but least understood aspects of infant and maternal health. In particular, the persistent black/white differential requires intensive study. At any age, and at any income, education or socioeconomic level, an African American mother is more than twice as likely to lose her infant as a white woman. Compared with white babies, black infants are at greater risk for three leading causes of infant mortality: congenital malformations, low birthweight, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (Mathews & MacDorman, 2008).
The time is now!!!!!!!
An intubated female premature infant born prematurely 26 weeks 6 days gestation, 990 grams. Photo taken at approximately 24 hours after birth. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
iride4shiloh
vivistarr
