NJ March of Dimes program aims to ease pregnancy for black women

With premature births and infant deaths more common among black mothers, the March of Dimes is starting a program in New Jersey to train volunteers on how to help pregnant black women address stress, nutrition and other issues.

The charity's New Jersey chapter, based in Cranbury, has begun offering a nine-week instructional program called Body and Soul. The program will be held in churches and health clinics.

"Research has not been able to capture the true experience of being an African-American in the U.S., but we suspect that racism and stress are closely intertwined and have a huge impact on pregnancy outcomes," Xenia Acquaye, the chapter's associate director of program services, told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Monday's editions.

Expectant moms who are anxious or depressed have a higher risk of having babies who suffer from sleep problems on into their toddler years, according to a recent study run by University of Rochester researchers.

So among other things, the Body and Soul program will focus on teaching mothers relaxation techniques, coping skills and the positive effect of spirituality on health. Other topics include nutrition and exercise during pregnancy.

Even with the program, many pregnant women could still be anxious about whether they have enough money to care for a new baby, on top of meeting basic needs, said Diane Brown, head of the Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities at the UMDNJ-School of Public Health in Newark.

"The causes of stress may not necessarily be abated" by the program, she said.

Infant mortality in New Jersey has declined overall since the early 1990s, but compared to white babies, black babies here are still more than two times as likely to die before their first birthday. Also, black mothers run the highest risk of delivering a premature baby.

"We are very, very full and are caring for many very fragile, very sick babies," said Dr. Richard Inwood, associate director of newborn medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

That's despite various state grants that have been distributed to help black women get early prenatal care.

Just last Saturday, Capital Health System's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Trenton sent home a baby that is one of the smallest ever born in New Jersey.

Tamera Dixon, born to an immigrant from Jamaica, weighed slightly more than 11 ounces when she was born on April 25. She was delivered about 15 weeks early by Caesarean section because of serious health suffered by her mother. The baby has since grown to 4 pounds, 8 ounces and has an excellent prognosis, so doctors gave the OK for her to go home with her parents.


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