CHI St. Vincent Infirmary recognized for ‘giving babies healthy start’

The March of Dimes has recognized CHI St. Vincent Infirmary for ensuring more babies get a healthy start in life by significantly reducing the number of elective inductions and caesarean deliveries performed before 39 completed weeks of pregnancy, a news release said.

“Reducing preterm, elective deliveries leads to healthier babies,” Polly Davenport, president of CHI St. Vincent Infirmary, said in the release. “We are blessed to have an expert team of physicians and nurses who recognized the problem of unnecessary early deliveries and implemented policies to help avoid scheduling C-sections or inductions before 39 weeks of pregnancy, except when medically necessary.

“Less than 5 percent of all elective deliveries are now before that 39week threshold. Ensuring that babies are carried to term provides time for babies to gain weight and to further develop their brains, lungs and other vital organs.”

The March of Dimes and the Arkansas Hospital Association presented CHI St. Vincent Infirmary a banner to be displayed in the hospital’s Maternal Child Unit.

Even babies born just a few weeks early have higher rates of hospitalization and illness than full-term infants, the March of Dimes said. Although the overall threat is small, the risk of death more than doubles for infants born at 37 weeks of pregnancy when compared to babies born at 40 weeks, for all races and ethnicities. Babies who survive an early birth often face lifelong health challenges, such as breathing problems, cerebral palsy and learning disabilities.

Faith Sharp, March of Dimes director of Maternal Child Health, said their campaign “Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait” urges women to wait for labor to begin on its own if their pregnancy is healthy. They offer both professional and consumer education materials about the critical importance of a full-term pregnancy to the health of the baby.