Delicious pink and blue desserts lined the table recently as parents of preemies gathered together to enjoy a break as well as give one another support and words of encouragement. Every November, in conjunction with National Prematurity Awareness Month, The University of Tennessee Medical Center hosts “Desserts for the Delicate” as a way to show support for the families with babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), thank the NICU staff and raise awareness about prematurity.

“Prematurity is a leading health problem in Tennessee, impacting as many as one in seven births,” said Peggy Hotz, vice president of the Center for Women and Children’s Health at UT Medical Center. “The emotional and financial implications for the families of these small infants are great. We are pleased to be able to reach out to the families of these very special patients through Desserts for the Delicate.”

No parent expects their child to be born premature, but it can happen to anyone - as Amy and Bill Parrott discovered. Their son William was born at UT Medical Center on November 2, two months before the expected due date.

The Parrott family traveled from their North Carolina home to join Amy’s family in Pigeon Forge for their annual vacation. Amy’s father, Mike Wimmer, said that for the past eight years it has been a family tradition to rent a cabin in Pigeon Forge and spend some time shopping for Christmas presents together.

This year plans changed when Amy began experiencing contractions as she and Bill were driving to Tennessee. “As soon as we crossed the Tennessee state line I started having contractions,” Amy said. “It was very scary.”

Once they reached the cabin, Amy said she drank lots of fluids and laid down in an effort to stop the contractions. When the contractions didn’t stop, she went to a local hospital in Sevierville. The staff worked to stop the contractions, but when the baby’s heart rate increased, the staff decided to transport Amy to UT Medical Center, which offers the 3-D ultrasound technology to look at the baby’s heart.

At UT Medical Center, doctors did an ultrasound and told Amy that the baby’s heart was fine. As a precaution, at the end of the exam a nurse checked Amy to see if she had dilated. To everyone’s surprise, Amy had dilated 8-9 centimeters. “I was scared to death when they told me the baby was coming,” she said.

William Micah was born on November 2 at 3:22 p.m. weighing 2 pounds and 8 ½ ounces. “He seems to be hanging in there,” Amy said. “The nurse said that he’s already got a little bit of an attitude. He’ll tell you when he doesn’t like something.”

One in every eight babies is born prematurely in the United States. A premature baby is one born before the pregnancy reaches 37 weeks. Amy wasn’t expecting William to arrive until January 12. In many cases, premature birth is a puzzle that doctors and researchers haven’t been able to crack. No one really knows why some women deliver prematurely. Sometimes lifestyle choices such as smoking while pregnant or having an existing medical condition such as diabetes can be contributing factors. But, doctors still don’t have a definite answer as to why it happens.

Hotz added, “It is our hope to raise awareness, through education, on the many challenges facing premature infants and their families. We partner with the March of Dimes to bring this message to our community as we strive to decrease the problem of prematurity both in Tennessee and across the nation.”

Valarie Parsley, executive director for East Tennessee March of Dimes, was on hand during Desserts for the Delicate to provide families with information about prematurity. She said that “prematurity awareness starts before you’re pregnant. It’s all about prevention, which includes eating healthy, taking folic acid and living a healthy lifestyle.”

March of Dimes is a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

According to the March of Dimes, women who have had a previous preterm birth, who are pregnant with multiples or who have certain cervical or uterine abnormalities are at a higher risk for preterm labor. The March of Dimes advises that before getting pregnant women should take steps to get healthy.

Tips to get healthy include

• Take folic acid daily 
• Stop smoking and avoid second hand smoke 
• Stop drinking alcohol 
• Avoid using illegal drugs
• Eat right and maintain a healthy weight 

Despite adopting precautionary measures, some women will still deliver their babies prematurely. The March of Dimes reports that for about 40 percent of premature births the cause is unknown. Parsley said that it’s important for women to communicate with their doctors and know the signs of preterm labor.