Preterm Births are High Here

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Story Published: Nov 13, 2009 at 12:32 AM PDT

By Stacy Lilienthal

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CENTRAL WASHINGTON --- Some of our counties have the highest premature birth rates in the state. Action News tracked down the stats and asks why that is.

"The moment I saw her come out, she was just so tiny and I had almost an outer body experience. I was like, oh my gosh, is this really happening?" Robert Pangburn said, as he described his daughters birth a month ago. Little Braylin came nearly 6 weeks early. She weighed less than 4 pounds. "It's just really nice to see her gain weight because that's one of the toughest things for premature babies," his wife Amy added.

But early arrivals like baby Braylin's aren't uncommon for the area. The latest statistics from the March of Dimes lists Yakima as the county with the 4th highest percent of preterm babies in the state. Franklin is the 5th highest, and Benton comes in at number 6.

"Weight control, exercise, avoid substance abuse. These are all important things that can be emphasized during prenatal visits. But the unfortunate part is a lot of women don't have that access," Dr. Roger Rowles explained. He went on to say premature babies are most common in women who can't afford to get prenatal care, if moms have a health complication like diabetes or smoking, and if there are twins or multiple births. Native Americans are also more likely to have preterm babies. Dr. Rowles says Yakima County ranks high because they have many of those risk factors, and because women with preterm birth risks are sent here from other counties to have babies in specialized care.

"I still think there's room to grow," Robert Pangburn said with a slight smile. Babies like Braylin continue to get stronger. But doctors said research needs to grow too. Memorial Hospital in Yakima is the first hospital in the Global Alliance for the Prevention of Prematurity and Still Births alliance to start collecting data on preterm births. But since the hospital just started, it may be years before they can track definite trends.

November is the Premature Baby Awareness month.

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