Help Increase Congressional Support for the PREEMIE Act

We hope you will contact your Represntative and Senators Levin and Stabenow and ask them to cosponsor S 707, the PREEMIE Act. Please visit the March of Dimes website for a sample letter

Emil - Thanks for updating us about the Preemie Act. This is important legislation!!! I'll be sending my senators and reps some letters

My friends at march of Dimes,
I just e - mailed one of our local (Tucson, AZ) politicians and asked him to support this bill. My husband and I also got our pink and blue bands today, and we're already wearing them.

I live in michigan and I was just wondering if there is anything we can do here to help out the situation?

I checked on the status of the bills. H.R. 2861 now has 13 sponsors. S. 707 still only has the original 2 sponsors. I know that many of you have already done so, but maybe we should revisit this issue again. November is Prematurity Awareness Month after all, what better time. So I encourage everyone, let's get the ball rolling again. Post on here who you contacted and the responses that you received. Let's make them hear us!

I sent letters to everyone on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in the Senate. That is the committee that the bill is currently in. I believe that I also sent out a letter to every Senator, although I have since lost my checklist. I also sent a letter to my representative in the House. These are the responses that I got back.

Senators

Byron L. Dorgan- North Dakota Received my message and would note my comments

Richard G. Lugar- Indiana Wrote a very thorough and personal response, included Nathaniel's name and references to my letter. Stated that he would co-sponsor the bill but has not of yet, 3 months later.

Joseph I. Lieberman- Connecticut Can only address and research issues from someone with ties to Connecticut

Joseph R. Biden, Jr.- Delaware Received my message and would note my comments

Richard C. Shelby- Alabama Thanked me for expressing my views

Daniel K. Akaka- Hawaii Thanked me for my views, only has limited resources and forwarded my letter on to my state's Senators

Larry E. Craig- Idaho Automated response, I look forward to reading your letter

Thomas R. Carper- Delaware Automated response, asked his staff to start research

Dianne Feinstein- California Can only address those issues brought up by someone from California

I believe actually that everyone's repsonse was automated except Senator Lugar from Indiana. Hopefully if we get our members from every state to contact their Congressmen then we can make some progress.

Representatives

Bart Gordon- Tennessee Personal response, has added his name as a co-sponsor

So far I've e - mail letters to U.S. Senators Jon Kyl and John McCain, as well as Arizona Representative Jim Kolbe. Hopefully we'll get the word out on this vital legislation!

I wholeheartly support the March of Dimes and all organizations that help premature babies to live good healthy lives.
I strongly beleive that premature babies are no different than a healthy weight babies and deserve all the love and support just like any other babies, even though premature ones require more attention. To those people that think these little angels are weak and will have trouble in their lives and such, DO THINK AGAIN!!
I was a premature baby and was 3 lbs. and the late 70's we didn't have all the technology and the knowledge in medicine we have now in that time. My mom said that her doctor and the pediatrician helped to keep me alive when I was in the incubator and also rescue from death from umbilical cord wrapped around my neck. Today, I am in my twenties and a strong healthy wise woman whose is a health professional. Now I am doing research for cancers and other illness because I want to make a difference to millions of people around the world. My mission has taught me life is precious and to use your life to make the world better. I thank my parents, doctors, nurses, and all people who supported me from day one til now. Thank You my the bottom of my heart, without you all I wouldn't have had a chance to live a life on Earth. Life is totally beautiful gift and each person is special and can become great people in their own ways. Let us all celebrate the gift of life and strongly support March of Dimes and any other programs that help save lives and make the world better place cause All Life Is Precious and Special.

tell me how to get started and what we can do here in south carolina?

Thanks to everyone who has contacted their Senators and Representative. It's working, there are currently 19 cosponsors of S. 707 and 21 cosponsors of HR 2861. The complete list is below. We still need more cosponsors though, so if you haven't contacted your Senators and Rep please do and if you haven't gotten an answer from them call their office.

Please visit the March of Dimes advocacy website for further guidance and a sample letter.

Again, we really appreciate your efforts in support of this very important bill! Thank you

Emil

Cosponsors
Senate – S. 707
Lamar Alexander (R-TN),
Chris Dodd (D-CT),
Evan Bayh, (D-IN),
Robert Bennett (R-UT),
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM),
Kit Bond (R-MO),
Hillary Clinton (D-NY),
Thad Cochran (R-MS),
Susan Collins (R-ME),
Lindsey Graham (R-SC),
Chuck Hagel (R-NE),
Daniel Inouye (D-HI),
Tim Johnson (D-SD),
Mary Landrieu (D-LA),
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ),
Joseph Lieberman (D-CT),
Blanche Lincoln (D-AR),
Richard Lugar (R-IN),
Barack Obama (D-IL),
Jim Talent (R-MO),

House - HR 2861
Upton, Fred [MI];
Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7];
Dicks, Norman D. [WA-6];
Doggett, Lloyd [TX-25];
Duncan, John J., Jr. [TN-2];
Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14];
Gingrey, Phil [GA-11];
Gordon, Bart [TN-6];
Holt, Rush D. [NJ-12];
Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2];
Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18];
Jenkins, William L. [TN-1];
Kennedy, Patrick J. [RI-1];
Menendez, Robert [NJ-13];
Ortiz, Solomon P. [TX-27];
Reyes, Silvestre [TX-16];
Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-28];
Snyder, Vic [AR-2];
Stupak, Bart [MI-1];
Waters, Maxine [CA-35];
Waxman, Henry A. [CA-30];
Weldon, Dave [FL-15]

Thank you for your interest in wanting to help. You can help by contacting your Senators. Lindsey Graham is already a sponsor, but Jim DeMint is not. You can contact him via his website. You can also find your Representative on the website of the House of Representatives.

When I wrote my letters, I just told my personal story and gave some facts about my home state which I found on the MOD website, Peristats.

Finally, we are getting the word out. You can see how many people have co-sponsored this bill since PAD. We can make them notice, we can personalize this issue, tell our stories and make the lawmakers realize that this does affect real people. There are beautiful and precious children behind each one of these statistics! Thank you so much to each of those that have written letters so far. To those that haven't, please, take a minute and tell your story. You may touch someone's heart.

Senators

Representatives

& rest of website - Congrat's JOB WELL DONE!! indilovesbikki@yahoo.ca

I agree that there certainly needs to be more research about Prematurity so I'm definitely on board with this! My daughter was born at 25 weeks. She weighed 1 lb and stayed 72 days in the Intensive Care Nursery. My husband and I are truly blessed to have her. There was no indication that she would be born premature or the cause. After all the tests came back negative, that was pretty much it...

My name is Crystal Reese and I am the proud mother of a 24 weeker Micro-preemie who is now 7 1/2 months old,an I am a web member of the March of Dimes.And I am writing you to ask if you would be a cosponser of the PREEMIE Act (S. 707/H.R. 2861).Because it would help to figure out why there are so many premature birth today.I Delivered my daughter at 24 weeks weighing 1lb 5ozs and 11/34 inches long,and they did not know why I had delivered so early.And I am not the only mother who has had a preemie,My daughters stay of 106 days in the N.I.C.U there was not only her ,but many many other little babies who was there also due to premature births.I couldnt understand why so many,Natasia is my first baby and everything was new to me and at 24 years of age that was alot to take in,I have decided not to have anymore children because of my experiance and the Dr's saying I am at risk of having another preemie if I was to get pregnant agian,so I decided not to have anymore I couldnt do it agian,I couldnt sit and wounder if my daughter was going to pass away or pull through,I cry when I see other babies or shows on tv where they are discussing Premature infants. It was very hardseeing my daughter there when someone elses baby was going home,and my daughter being there when someone elses baby was in the next room not making it,and seeing the moms of those babies who I had mad a friend with just being there everyday with each other who has passed away not knowing what to say to them,because that was my biggest fear.Even now that my daughter is doing well she is still only the size of a 4 month old baby.This act it to help expand the research into prematurity and help to expand the research on why and how there are so many infants born to early,my daughter was born almost 17 weeks to early and thats alot,Thank God she is still with me today,but there are some that are not with there parents because of there prematurity.We need more Information,and I am a strong mother because of the N.I.C.U and my daughter and I want to voice my oppinion to help get this Act passed and to help othere mothers in the N.I.C.U who are going through the same thing I went through seven months ago,and to hopefully Try and decrease the number in Preemature births.Please can you help I dont want mothers to go thru the same thing I went trough Is a very long and hard rollercoaster and you wouldnt understand unless you where a mommy or a daddy of a baby in the N.I.C.U.Thank you Crystal L Reese

please let me know if there is anything else i can do to help c_reese_81@yahoo.com I want to help.... was my letter ok I wasnt really shure what to write so I just put my feelings about preemies and the N.I.C.U and how I felt about it. Lake Lynn Pennsylavaina

Here is an article I ran across about the PREEMIE Act. It's written by Paul Hunt who is co-chairman of the public affairs committee of the March of Dimes Florida Chapter.

Costs borne by society can be cut

LaKena

I think that the Preemie Act is a great idea. However, most officials within the gynecological and neonatal specialties are well aware of a major cause of premature birth in the US, yet no one is doing anything about it. The cause ... the great increase of C-section births in this country. Most problems that women and infants have during labor and delivery are caused by the doctors. These specialists know that one intervention on their part generally will lead to another. They know that a labor should never be induced until after 42 weeks gestation, yet it continues to happen daily in this country. The direct result being that the baby is not ready to be born, the mother is having contractions caused by induction, however induction does not open the cervix. Additionally, the woman is usually laboring on her back at this point, so that a neonatal heart monitor can be placed on her. Doctors know this is the worst position for a woman to labor in. Yet, after all of this, the doctor pretends to be surprised when the babies heartrate goes down. Instantly, the doc insists on surgery. A simple change in positioning could be helpful in this situation, so why do they want to perform major abdominal surgery instead? Money, convenience, fear of lawsuit. I'm not saying that the growing rate of C-sections is the only cause for premature birth. Nor am I saying that all C-sections are unnecessary, however most are. If we look at worldwide birthing statistics... The best countries for birthing have only 2-4% incidence of C-section and a much smaller incidence of premature birth than the US. We have about a 30% incidence of C-section in this country which is growing everyday along with the greater number of premature births. A baby should not be born until he/she is ready. We, as parents of these children have to educate ourselves and stop being so afraid of standing up to our doctors.

KyKy's Mom,

I'm sorry, could you explain that theory one more time? You think c-sections *cause* premature birth? I don't understand that correlation at all, especially because most preemies are on their way before anyone has figured out how to get them out. I agree with your statement that "A baby should not be born until he/she is ready." But I don't see how c-sections cause this, when many moms in pre-term labor/experience PROM/hypertension have never had a c-section.

Premature birth is defined as prior to 37 weeks gestation. Usually before this point no one is inducing a mother or scheduling c-sections, espcially if a mom is only in her second trimester.

Are you talking about full-term induction for convenience? Doctors rarely induce women prematurely (before 37 weeks) unless the baby is in grave danger.

Could you please elaborate on the "c-sections are the cause of premature births" theory?

Curious,
Darcy

I am not understanding either. It sounds more like she is trying to say that a medical induction increases the likelyhood of having a c-section. But I don't want to put words into someone's mouth. I am also stumped.

I had a c-section at 26 weeks because my baby was dying. The c-section didn't cause her to be premature- it saved her life. She was premature because I was very sick and my body was killing her (pre-eclampsia/HELLP). I really don't understand your reasoning.

Hello:

This is Pam with the education department of the March of Dimes. The March of Dimes shares your concern about the rising rates of cesarean section in the United States. One out of every three babies is now delivered by c-section; this is higher than most countries. But we also know that c-section can be a life-saving procedure for many women and babies.

But researchers don’t have a good understanding of why c-sections are increasing or how many c-sections might be medically unnecessary. There are several theories. New technologies make doctors more aware of possible problems with the mother or the baby so they may be more likely to do a c-section than they were in the past. Medical malpractice lawsuits are more common in the United States than in other countries, so concern about a possible lawsuit may play a role in a doctor's recommendation for a woman to have a c-section. Convenience for both the doctor and the woman may be a factor. Some women are fearful of vaginal delivery and sometimes request a c-section.

Researchers and health care providers are concerned and are investigating the problem. For instance, the National Institutes of Health recently held an expert meeting on c-section and will be issuing recommendations in the coming months.

For your information, preterm birth is any birth before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. A term pregnancy is usually considered between 38 and 42 weeks. It is generally recommended that a c-section not be performed before 39 weeks, unless there is a serious medical reason for doing so.

Induction techniques do include a way to prepare the woman's cervix for delivery.

The March of Dimes is concerned that the rising number of c-sections may be increasing the number of late preterm births, since it is often hard to pinpoint gestational age.

The challenge for both the woman and the doctor is to carefully weigh the risks and benefits for the mother and her baby. For more information on c-section, please read these articles on the March of Dimes Web site:

Cesarean birth for medical reasons http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/240_1031.asp

Cesarean birth on request
http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/240_19673.asp

I hope this helps you to understand this complex issue. Women have an important role to play: they need to understand the pro's and con's of c-section, they need to discuss the subject with their health care providers, they need to know the facts about cesarean section. As with all health care issues, women need to be informed consumers. With best wishes.