Helping Mothers Have Healthy Babies
Impact on Interconceptional Intervals of less than 12 months
Preterm birth is a key factor associated with low birth weight and infant
mortality. The risk for adverse birth outcomes is lowest when the
inter-pregnancy interval is 18-23 months and increases when the interval is
less than 18-23 months. Of the 210 fetal and infant death cases from 1998
reviewed by the BCHS-administered Baltimore Perinatal Systems Review (FIMR)
which had previous pregnancy histories documented, 74 had at least one prior
fetal or infant death: over one-third of Baltimore's fetal and infant deaths
occur to women with prior fetal or infant deaths. The significance of this
finding cannot be overstated, and it forms the basis of Baltimore City
Healthy Start's high-risk interconceptional care services strategy.
Competing cultural priorities contribute to pregnancies less than 12 months
after delivery. Full
Report
Impact on Low Birth Weight Births
(less than 2500 grams or 5 pounds 8 ounces)
Since 1996 and up to 2005, an average of 13% of Baltimore City Healthy Start
clients had babies with LBW. The chart (on next page) shows the percent of LBW
among BCHS clients decreasing from 13.6% in 1996 to 10.7% in 1998. From LBW
increases to 12.3% in 1999 and gradually decreases to its lowest percent (8.9%)
in 2003. After 2003 LBW again increases from 8.9% to 12.8 in 2005.
Full Report
Impact on Very Low Birth Weight Births
(less than 1500 grams or 3 pounds 4 ounces)
The primary cause of very low birth weight is premature birth (born before 37
weeks gestation). Very low birth weight babies are often born before 30 weeks of
pregnancy. Being born early means a baby has less time in the mother's uterus to
grow and gain weight. Much of a baby's weight is gained during the latter part
of pregnancy. Another cause of very low birth weight is intrauterine growth
restriction (IUGR). This is when a baby does not grow well during pregnancy
because of problems with the placenta, the mother's health, or birth defects.
Most very low birth weight babies who have IUGR are also born early, and are
both very small and physically immature. Chronic diseases are more prevalent
among VLBW clients. Clients without health insurance (due to multiple reasons,
not only eligibility factors) and no regular source of preventive care, present
themselves with hypertension, asthma, diabetes, sexually transmitted infections.
Add to this unintended pregnancy, lack of nutritious diet, the odds of having a
VLBW increases among these clients.
Full Report
