In response to the infant mortality rate being the highest it has been in over a decade, the Mississippi Department of Health declared it a public health emergency.
In Mississippi 3,527 babies have died before their first birthday. According to the MSDH, there are 9.7 deaths for every 1,000 babies being born. Some of the main causes of this for Mississippians are preterm birth, congenital malformations, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome.
Sarah McIntyre is a family nurse practitioner and an OBGYN at Laurel’s Family Health Center. She explained what infant mortality is.
“Infant mortality is the death of a baby before his or her first birthday,” she said. “Neonatal mortality is an infant death within the first 28 days, and then post Neonatal mortality is from 29 days to the one-year mark.”
Preterm birth and low birth rate are two major causes for infant mortality in Mississippi. The state currently has the highest preterm birth rate as of 2024. When babies are born too early, it makes them more likely to have complications like infections, breathing and feeding difficulties and more.
There are several other factors outside of health complications that affect infant mortality like access to quality care for mothers, transportation, housing and racial and geographic disparities.
According to the MSDH, “Infant mortality for Whites was 6.7 per 1000 births and for Blacks 12.2 per 1000 births.”
McIntyre said that black infants are more than twice as likely to die before their first birthday. These rates could be increasing due to the rise of babies being born to black mothers in recent years.
The MSDH declared this emergency to mobilize resources more quickly and work with partners to reverse the rising trends.
October is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month. To help combat the infant mortality rate from rising, it is important for new mothers to have access to prenatal care, supplements, education for breast feeding, proper sleeping and OBGYN access in deserts.
Departments like WIC and social services can provide help and resources for mothers and families in need. The March of Dimes also can be a resource for new mothers. The mission of the March of Dimes is to lead the fight for the health of all moms and babies. They provide resources and grants to local support programs.
For the Hattiesburg community, new mothers can look to Forrest General Hospital for mom support groups and information to avoid infant mortality.
Check out www.forresthealth.org/services/womens-childrens/ and www.marchofdimes.org/find-support to get resources and help.
