Risk factors that could lead to premature births
• high blood pressure
• diabetes
• clotting disorders
• obesity/chronic health problems in mother
• certain infections during pregnancy
• cigarette smoking
• alcohol and/or illicit drug use during pregnancy
• multifetal pregnancies
• history of premature deliveries
• uterine or cervical abnormalities
• lack of prenatal care
KETTERING — Nine-year-old Jack McKelvey sat on the couch in his living room, cuddled next to his mother Carla, his fingers stretched around his mother’s hand.
“I took another test today,” Jack McKelvey said, poking his mother’s arm.
“And what’d you get?” Carla McKelvey asked, stroking her son’s hair.
“A nine out of 10,” Jack McKelvey said, a smile erupting across his face.
When Jack was born almost 10 years ago, Carla and Tim McKelvey could never have imagined a time when Jack would be able to say he had done well on a test in third grade. The reason: Jack was born 13 weeks premature and weighed 2 pounds, 5 ounces.
“All (Tim and I) kept thinking was, ‘why did this happen to us?’” Carla McKelvey said.
Six months into her pregnancy, Carla McKelvey developed a condition called placenta previa, when the placenta covers the opening of the cervix. As the cervix begins to thin and dilate in preparation for labor, blood vessels connecting the placenta to the uterus may tear, which causes bleeding and can result in premature birth.
This condition occurs in about one in 200 births, according to the March of Dimes.
When Jack was born at 27 weeks on Jan. 2, 2001, he couldn’t breathe on his own, had multiple blood infections, and suffered from a perforated bowel that required emergency surgery, Carla McKelvey said, adding that Jack spent the first 13 weeks in the hospital and was on oxygen and heart monitors in their home until June.
“It was very, very difficult and heart-wrenching, but you count your blessings with something like this,” she said. “It could have been much worse.”
After Jack left the hospital, a representative from Help Me Grow Montgomery County, a free service to parents whose children suffer from developmental delays, made visits to the family’s home to work with Jack on his delays, she said. As he grew, he developed fine motor skill and speech delays, she added.
“He’s a normal, active 9-year-old boy now,” she said. “He wears glasses, but that’s about it.”
Giving back
Now a healthy, happy boy who plays football, basketball and swims, Jack is a voice for premature birth research and gives back to the hospital that helped him survive.
Jack spent 2010 serving as the Miami Valley March of Dimes ambassador, Carla McKelvey said.
As an ambassador, Jack raised about $4,200 for premature birth research by publicly speaking about his story and receiving donations, she said, adding that he also walked in the March of Dimes March for Babies event in April.
“I liked speaking to a lot of people about my story,” Jack said, adding that his favorite part was being on the news.
While serving as the 2010 ambassador, Jack and his family wanted to give back to Miami Valley Hospital’s neonatal-intensive care unit, where Jack spent the first 13 weeks of his life, and about 750 premature babies are cared for each year.
The McKelveys worked with St. Albert the Great school administrators to have a schoolwide out-of-uniform day to raise money for the cause
Students and faculty members paid $1 to be out-of-uniform and raised about $400, she said.
The school came together to support Jack, said Nancy Lakes, Jack’s second-grade teacher, who also organized a coin collection in her class.
“We are very proud of Jack and wanted to support him and contribute to Miami Valley,” Lakes said. “He had a big struggle, but he’s doing very well now.”
The McKelveys used the $400 to buy scrapbooking supplies for the unit’s family nights, where families of premature child can scrapbook about their babies and eventually share those memories with their child, said Nancy Thickel, spokeswoman for Miami Valley Hospital.
“It’s a way for families to support each other as they all go through a similar experience,” Carla McKelvey said. “It was great to give back to the people that were instrumental to our son’s survival. They were such a big help.”
Premature births
Premature births are a growing problem in the United States. One in eight, or about 500,000, babies are born premature each year, and premature births are the No. 1 killer of newborns in the country, according to the March of Dimes.
A child is considered premature if he or she is born prior to 37 completed weeks of pregnancy, which in 2008 accounted for 12.3 percent of babies in the U.S., according to the organization’s Premature Birth Report Card released in November.
Ohio was issued a “D,” the same grade the nation received, for the amount of premature babies born from 2006 to 2008, according to the report card. In Ohio, 12.6 percent of babies were born premature between 2006 and 2008.
Ohio improved its grade from the 2009 report card, when the state received an “F” for 13.2 percent of births occurring prematurely, said Glenda Hoagland, spokeswoman for the Miami Valley March of Dimes.
“We like to believe education led to the decrease,” said Hoagland, adding that the organization continues to work to improve the state’s grade by offering information and comfort to families faced with a premature birth, as well as researching the problems that threaten babies who are born prematurely.
The nation also saw a drop to 12.3 percent on the 2010 report card from 12.7 percent on the 2009 report card.
Babies who are born prematurely can suffer from many medical complications, including respiratory distress syndrome, apnea, jaundice, anemia, chronic lung disease, brain bleeds, heart problems and intestinal problems, according to the organization.
These children also can experience developmental delays, especially with speech, hearing, vision and fine motor skills, said Pam Albers, director of Help Me Grow Montgomery County.
Those babies born prior to 28 weeks, such as Jack McKelvey, are very rare, officials said. Less than 1 percent of babies are born this early, but have the most complications.
Children born this early are too immature to swallow, suck or breathe on their own and normally weigh no more than 2 pounds. Their skin is reddish-purple, wrinkly and appears transparent. They are very thin as well.
Although the underlying causes of premature births are unknown, some consistent factors are multifetal pregnancies, a woman’s history of premature deliveries and some uterine or cervical abnormalities, Hoagland said.
Lack of access to health care for women of childbearing age is also a problem that can lead to premature birth, she added.
Some known strategies to reducing the risk of early birth are suspending smoking, employing preconception and prenatal care, and avoiding multiple fertility treatments, unnecessary C-sections and inductions prior to 39 weeks of pregnancy.
As a parent who went through the struggles of having a child who was born premature, Carla McKelvey gives advice for families facing it for the first time.
“Don’t hesitate to reach out to people,” she said. “You’re not alone. There are other people who have been in this situation who just want to help.”
About the Author