According to a  recent CDC report, the United States infant mortality rate remains higher than most other developed countries.  Thank you Novant for the recent gift of baby boxes for our moms. Baby boxes are card board bassinets and a safe option for mothers of newborn babies, designed to reduce the risk of sudden infant deaths.   The boxes come equipped with a soft pad for babies to rest. At Carried To Full Term, mothers cannot bed-share with their babies. Bed sharing is the unsafe practice  of mothers and babies sharing the same bed.  According to a study completed by Temple University Hospital, (TUH) bed sharing is associated with sleep-related deaths in infants, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed.

On May 6, 2017, TUH present their study and findings to a San Francisco based pediatric society. The study discovered that face-to-face postpartum education about safe infant sleep, combined with the distribution of a baby box, contributed to a reduction in bed sharing fatalities during the babies’ first 8 days of life.

We are truly grateful to Novant for the gift of these life saving baby boxes.

We celebrated the March For Life weekend with many other service providers who are committed to work with families who have made the decision to parent their children. Knowing that the work is hard, many mothers who lack education to secure a well paying job,  finances for childcare costs and transportation to get around choose to care for their families. Many mothers who made this choice weren’t willing participants in their pregnancies but yet they’ve chosen to parent.

We heard and we’ve seen this example on numerous occasions. Throughout the March For Life activities we networked with organization who have agreed to support these mothers in various ways. We provide long term housing. Other organizations help with transportation, financial and educational assistance. We, who are strangers are united in our mission to help those who are suffering in our communities. The March for Life reminded us, that together we can help change to course of life for families experiencing various crisis.

Our weekend concluded by attending a talk given by Abby Johnson, an activist and former abortion provider. Abby reminded us of importance of working together to protect the most vulnerable, the baby in the womb. The task is big, but we were reminded that two strands are stronger than one, together we can make a difference.