Jailed - for a good cause

March of Dimes “Jail and Bail” brings together Alexandria’s most wanted leaders and citizens for a common cause – saving babies.

Charged with smiling too much on a Monday morning, reckless window shopping, and other fun charges they are guilty of aiding and abetting the March of Dimes in the fight against prematurity.

Their sentence?

To serve time raising “bail” in form of donations to the March of Dimes.

The bail they raise helps support lifesaving programs of research, community services and education.

The jailbirds will serve their time Wednesday, August 25 at Pizza Ranch in Alexandria.

One in 10 babies is born premature in Minnesota. This summer and fall, the March of Dimes is focusing on reducing the number of babies born late preterm (infants born between 34 and 36 weeks gestation) with an education campaign across the state.

Each jailbird will learn about why the last weeks of pregnancy count. 

More and more births are being scheduled a little early for non-medical reasons, according to the March of Dimes.

Experts are learning that this can cause problems for both mom and baby. If your pregnancy is healthy, it’s best if your baby is born at 40 weeks.

You might not have a choice about when to have your baby. If there are problems with your pregnancy or your baby’s health, you may need to have your baby earlier. But if you have a choice and you’re planning to schedule your baby’s birth, wait until at least 39 weeks.

Here’s why your baby needs 40 weeks:

•Important organs, like the brain, lungs and liver, get all the time they need to develop.

•He or she is less likely to have vision and hearing problems after birth.

•He or she has time to gain more weight in the womb. Babies born at a healthy weight have an easier time staying warm than babies born too small.

•He or she can suck and swallow and stay awake long enough to eat after birth. Babies born early sometimes can’t do these things.

Here’s why scheduling an early birth can be a problem:

•Your due date may not be exactly right. Sometimes it’s hard to know just when you got pregnant. If you schedule to induce labor and have a cesarean birth (also called a c-section) and your date is off by a week or two, your baby may be born too early.

•Inducing labor may not work. If your labor is induced, the medicine your doctor or health care provider gives you may not start your labor. When this happens, you may need to have a c-section. Babies born by c-section may have more breathing and other medical problems than babies born by vaginal birth.

To learn more, go to marchofdimes.com.

Tags: local news, jail and bail, march of dimes, news