Today is Prematurity Awareness Day. Unfortunately, the March of Dimes recently released its second annual Premature Birth Report Card and America scored a depressing “D.” What that means is that every year, we’re failing more than half a million babies.

Premature babies are special to me for a couple of reasons. I volunteered at Parkland Hospital in Dallas for five years in the Neonatal ICU. As a volunteer, I held and comforted these little ones, feeding them, changing diapers or just rocking them to sleep. I saw the dedication of the nurses and doctors, the incredible stress the parents were under, and of course, the struggle these tiny babies faced being born too soon. Unlike my initial suspicions, most of these babies weren't born too early because of drug-addicted mothers or lack of prenatal care. Often, babies are born premature, and we don't know why.

And my second reason for caring is even closer to my heart. My twin niece and nephew were born premature at 36 weeks. They were in the NICU for about a month before coming home, and today they are happy, healthy 6-year-olds, not to mention extremely smart and attractive. (Hey, I'm a proud auntie!)

Although medical advances give even the tiniest babies a chance of survival, for many babies premature birth is still a life or death condition. It’s the #1 cause of death during the first month of life. And many babies who survive face serious health challenges and risk lifelong disabilities.

Learn more about how you can help.