November 13, 2006

The Birmingham skyline has a special touch now through the end of November: the beacon atop UAB's Jefferson Tower is lit pink and blue in honor of Prematurity Awareness Month and as a symbol of hope for all those affected by the growing crisis of premature birth.

One in eight babies born each day in the U.S. is premature, or born before 37 weeks gestation. That is equal to nearly 500,000 premature births each year. Since1981, the rate of premature births has risen more than 30 percent. Premature birth can happen in any pregnancy, and half the time it is from unknown causes.

Prematurity is the leading cause of death in the first month of life and for babies who survive, many face weeks or months in a neonatal intensive care unit. While many survivors grow up healthy, some end up with long-term disabilities, including cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease, vision and hearing problems.

Prematurity Awareness Month is designed to raise awareness of premature births in an effort to find out how to prevent early births from occurring.