Naperville hospital working to reduce preterm births

Edward Hospital is rolling out a new program Monday that aims to reduce the number of expectant mothers who choose preterm deliveries for nonmedical reasons.

The Naperville hospital is one of 25 across the country, including five in Illinois, taking part in a test program headed by the March of Dimes. The effort focuses on improving education for mothers-to-be about the possible consequences of delivering before 39 weeks and the value of waiting full-term.

“All moms want to do the best thing for their babies,” Pat Bradley, director of obstetrics at Edward, said Friday. “They just need to know that this is the best thing they can do.”

Roughly 3,500 babies are born each year at Edward. Although many enter the world on their own schedules, Bradley said it has become increasingly common for expectant parents to schedule deliveries two or three weeks early to work around family and professional responsibilities.

Research has shown the final weeks of a baby's prenatal development can be critical to brain and lung development. Babies delivered even just a few weeks early also are at greater risk for feeding and respiratory problems, and are more often admitted to neonatal intensive care units, Bradley said.

Under Edward's new program, physicians and nurses have been armed with educational “tool kits” to inform patients of delivery options. It also involves additional documentation showing how long a woman has been pregnant when an elective delivery is scheduled.

Bradley said requests for early deliveries still will be considered on a case-by-case basis. But physicians will counsel those who do not have a medical reason, such as diabetes or hypertension, not to give birth early.

“Once moms understand, they're going to be fine with this,” Bradley said. “It's really all about informed consent.”

The hospital plans to monitor results and report monthly findings to the March of Dimes, Bradley said.