Premature Baby Birth Rate Reaches Decade Low

But experts say we still have "work to do"

The preterm birth rate in the United States has declined for the fifth year in a row, hitting its lowest level in a decade. "We're making progress, but we still have more work to do," Janis Biermann of March of Dimes. "We have some states that are doing well, and we have some states that still have some real challenges." Any baby born before the 37th week of pregnancy is considered premature. Contributing factors can include smoking during pregnancy, or a lack of access to prenatal health care. Preterm birth is the most frequent cause of infant death in the U.S. and costs the health care system more than $26 billion annually. (Huffington Post)

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