Premature births in the U.S. remain at an all-time high, the March of Dimes reports

Mississippi receives 'F' rating on preterm birth rate

Mississippi received an F grade for its rate of preterm births in 2023 – those occurring before 37 weeks gestation – from the 2024 March of Dimes report card.  Mississippi’s preterm birth rate was 15%, the worst in the country. Any state with a rate greater than 11.5% also received an F. The U.S. average was 10.4%.  Preterm births in Mississippi have risen steadily over the last decade, increasingly nearly 2% since 2013. In Jackson, the state ca…

US Plagued by 'Historically High' Number of Preterm Births

There were 370,000 preterm births in the US last year. The United States continues to be a scary place for women to give birth.

High rates of preterm birth and infant deaths get the US another D+ grade: ‘It’s a travesty’

Being rushed to a hospital nearly two hours away, in the middle of a dangerous spring storm – with fear in her heart and amniotic fluid leaking down her leg – was not how Ashley O’Neil expected her first pregnancy to go.

Premature births in the U.S. remain at an all-time high, the March of Dimes reports

A growing number of areas without OB-GYN care could further drive up the number of preemie births in the U.S., experts say.

Premature births remain high in US, highest among Black women

(NewsNation) — The report card is in, and the U.S. is nearly failing. The 2024 March of Dimes Report Card issued the nation a D+ for its preterm birth rate and found that maternal mortality returned to pre-pandemic rates while infant mortality rates increased for the first time in two decades. A preterm birth occurs when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, which can cause complications for the baby and the mother. The preterm birth rate…

US Earns D+ Grade For Preterm Births, Infant Mortality Remains High

Ashley O’Neil had never foreseen the harrowing pregnancy she had been going through. At 21 weeks pregnant, O’Neil found herself fighting a losing battle against time, where fears over the survival of her unborn child only mounted after she started experiencing irregular bleeding. Her experience would soon come to highlight the ordeal many expectant mothers face in “maternity care deserts”—areas where access to essential maternity services is sca…