A recent study by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) shows that the number of babies born too early in the US has gone up by 12% from 2014 to 2022. Now, nearly 8.7 out of every 100 babies are born before they’re fully ready. This problem is bigger for some moms than others. Black moms have almost twice the chance of having their babies too early compared to white moms, with rates of 12.5% for Black moms and 7.6% for white moms. Also, older moms, especially those over 40, are more likely to have premature babies than younger moms in their 20s.
Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, an expert on moms and babies before birth and the next leader of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, says this is a big problem in the US. She points out that figuring out how to stop babies from being born too early is tough because the reasons why it happens are complicated and not fully understood.
The study also talks about how more people are choosing to have babies later in life, which could be part of the reason for the increase in premature births. Plus, it looks at how being Black in America can be extra stressful in ways that might make it more likely for Black moms to have their babies too early. This idea is called “weathering,” where the stress from racism and not having enough can make someone’s body age faster. But Gyamfi-Bannerman believes there’s not just one reason why babies are born too early; it’s probably because of many different things.
See “Rate of US babies born prematurely has grown 12%, analysis says” by Jessica Glenza on The Guradian website (January 31, 2024)
