March for Babies
Saturday, April 25
Cannon Park
8:00 a.m. Registration
9:00 a.m. Walk begins

It is not too late to be a part of this years March for Babies. Help Team MUSC and sponsor, Women’s Services, raise $25,000 for the March of Dimes.   The best reasons to participate in the March for Babies and to donate to this cause are provided by our Lowcountry and National Ambassador families.

Some helpful Q & A's for Saturday's walk:

Where do I park?
Parking is in the Rutledge Tower located on Ashley Avenue in downtown Charleston. Parking is free until 12 noon.

What time should I arrive?
We ask participants to arrive at 8:00 a.m. The walk will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. Look for the Blue Family Tent. This is where TEAM MUSC will be.

What to wear?
Wear comfortable shoes and socks.

Are strollers allowed?
Yes! Bring your strollers, buggies, wagons and anything you can carry the kids in. The route is flat and on pavement. Runners allowed as well.

Are dogs allowed?
Well mannered, socialized dogs are permitted on leash. Dogs must be supervised at all times.

Do I need to register on March for Babies Day?
If you have already turned in all of your team's money at Bank Day and picked up your incentives you do not need to register at the event. However, if you have additional money, please come to the Registration table under the tent.

What if it rains?
March for Babies takes place rain or shine. If weather conditions become dangerous the event will be cancelled.

Can I raise money after the event?
Yes! Online fundraising continues through December. If someone you know missed the opportunity to sponsor you before the event, please encourage them to make a donation after the event!

For more than 10 years, MUSC has supported the March of Dimes annual March for Babies fundraising event.   The March of Dimes contributes 90% of its donated money to support research, education, and direct patient services all focused on preventing preterm birth and improving newborn outcomes. The Lowcountry March for Babies event will take place at 9 a.m. April 25 at Cannon Park.  Help Team MUSC and sponsor, Women’s Services, raise $25,000 for this years March for Babies.   The best reasons to participate in the March for Babies and to donate to this cause are provided by our Lowcountry and National Ambassador families.

- Meet our 2009 Lowcountry Ambassador

- Meet our 2009 National Ambassador

- Donate to Team MUSC March for Babies

By taking a detailed obstetrical history and by transvaginal ultrasound measurement of cervical length, an individual woman’s risk of preterm birth (PTB) can be very accurately estimated.  For those women who are at increased risk there are several interventions that can help prevent preterm birth.  Simple things should not be forgotten.  Excellent nutrition, good hydration, and increased rest will all reduce contraction frequency and is generally believed to help prevent the occurrence of preterm labor.  For women at very high risk or who have already had preterm labor once, a home uterine activity device can identify increasing uterine contractility earlier than the woman can herself.  It is controversial whether the reduction in PTB is a result of the monitoring device or the associated daily nursing contact.  The fact remains, however, that increased surveillance of these high risk pregnancies will reduce their risk of delivering prematurely.  For those women who do develop preterm labor, there are several drugs that can be used to prevent PTB (tocolytic drugs).  In most cases, these drugs are more likely to modestly prolong pregnancy than they are to take a woman to term. However, even prolonging pregnancy by only a few days or a week can significantly improve outcomes.  Giving antenatal corticosteroids and magnesium sulfate to a woman in preterm labor will reduce her child’s risk of respiratory distress syndrome, intracranial hemorrhage, cerebral palsy, and mortality by almost 50%.  Finally, for women with a prior singleton PTB, a new treatment using weekly injections of 17-Alphahydroxy progesterone caproate (aka 17-P) prevents recurrent PTB in 40-50% of cases.

by:  Roger Newman, M.D.

Request an appointment with a MUSC provider.

Delivering your infant prematurely is not planned. Therefore, preterm delivery often disrupts a mother's plans including whether she intends to breastfeed or not. Preterm delivery alters breastfeeding plans in two ways. For the mother who did not intend to breastfeed, the neonatology team will be asking this mother to pump her breast milk, while her infant is in the hospital, so that she can provide this excellent "medication" to her preterm infant. For the mother who intends to breastfeed, she also will be asked to pump her breast milk until her infant can receive adequate nutrition from the breast.

Breast milk as medicine
Infants do not develop the ability to take breast or bottle feeds until approximately 32-34 weeks gestational age (about 7 months of pregnancy). Until they reach that age, they receive mother's breast milk through a tube from the mouth or nose to the stomach. In addition, even when preterm infants develop the ability to breastfeed, they often require additional nutrition through at least 9 months of life. Breast milk is by far the best nutrition for preterm infants, but it is lacking in calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D, and protein for very preterm infants. The strong benefit of breast milk lies in its antibacterial and antiviral properties and its enzymes that help a baby's intestines absorb fats, carbohydrates, and protein. Breast milk even contains stem cells that likely help grow the infant's intestine! We call breast milk a "medication" because of the many benefits to protect the infant from infection and support growth of the body and the brain. Nonetheless, even for mothers who strongly desire to breastfeed their infants, providing breast milk to a preterm infant is not easy. To maintain a good milk supply, a mother must pump her breast 6-8 times a day. If a mother does not pump regularly and instead waits for her breast to feel full, her breast milk supply will decrease. Even if a mother pumps 6-8 times a day every day, maintaining milk supply still can be difficult.

Breastfeeding support
Fortunately, we do have some ways to support mothers' milk supply. One is "Kangaroo Care" which allows a mother to hold her infant directly on her chest for a few hours each day. For a mother who wants her infant to learn to breastfeed, we can position her infant on her chest to try some "non-nutritive suckling" where the infant gets the feel of suckling on the breast. When a preterm infant reaches the gestational age to try feeding at the breast, we have more ways to support mother and infant! Preterm infants often do not have much energy for feeding, so the neonatology team works hard with mother and infant to make it easier. To calculate how much milk a preterm infant takes at the breast, we have very precise scales to weigh the infant before and after a breastfeeding! We want to support mothers of preterm infants in all ways to help them succeed in providing breast milk for the infant and to breastfeed if desired. Breast milk is truly the best medicine for a preterm infant, and, therefore, is the greatest gift that a mother can give her preterm child. However, it is not easy, and the MUSC neonatology team greatly admires and appreciates the preterm infant mothers who work so hard to provide this resource to their infants. 

by:  Sarah Taylor, M.D.

Request an appointment with a MUSC provider.