March of Dimes Walk to Save Area Babies

By William Reed
WI Contributing Writer
Monday, April 30, 2007

“Premature birth is the No. 1 cause of newborn death,” said Howard University student Alexis Kimbrough. “It has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S., endangering the lives of more than half a million babies. I am marching … because I want the public to know that I survived being premature thanks to the Lord and research done by the March of Dimes.”

The March of Dimes held its 2007 WalkAmerica walkathon Sunday, April 29, at the Sylvan Theatre on the National Mall. WalkAmerica is the March of Dimes’ biggest fundraiser and is a national tradition with 37 years of success.
  
Kimbrough participated as a team captain for the Howard Miracle Baby group - Howard University students walking in support of the March of Dimes. “I am dedicated to helping babies and families just like mine,” said the 20-year-old.
  

Kimbrough weighed less than two pounds at birth and was a patient in a neonatal intensive care unit for three months.

She now wants “to spread the word about the large number of premature births each year, to educate families about prematurity and other threats to babies’ health” and for people to know the importance of funding research.

According to Nate Brown, an official with a local branch of the March of Dimes, more than half a million babies are born prematurely each year and more than 120,000 children are born with serious birth defects that can result in lifelong disability.
  
Generally, babies born after only 24 to 25 weeks of gestation are mature enough to survive, although they need a prolonged period of intensive care. Babies born at less than 23 weeks of gestation are usually not mature enough to survive.
  
Brown especially urged area African Americans to participate in and support the walkathon. Between 2002 and 2004, the rate of preterm births – live births that occur before 37 weeks of completed pregnancy – for Black babies in the District of Columbia was 17.1 percent. Black infants were almost twice as likely as White infants to be born preterm. African American women are more likely go into labor three or more weeks early than those of any other race or ethnicity.
  
Infant mortality rates are also of concern to area residents. In 2002, 85 infants in the District died before reaching their first birthday – a mortality rate of 11.3 deaths per 1,000 live births.   

Brown encourages Americans to donate to the March of Dimes so that the organization can fund its research and prevention efforts, support families with babies in neonatal intensive care units and provide women with the latest information for healthy pregnancies. 
  
In 2006, the March of Dimes National Capital Area Chapter provided grants and awards totaling more than $280,000 to assist in the development of local services.