Strategies to Prevent Premature Birth
Screen for risks of premature birth
Educate about the signs and symptoms of premature birth
Inform about actions to take should one experience symptoms of premature birth
As a result, only 6.5% of MOMS Orange County babies are born premature compared to 12.7% in the U.S., 10.9% in California and 9.7% in Orange County. MOMS clients' premature birth rates are even better than the Healthy People 2010 objective of 7.6%.
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Community SnapshotMOMS Orange County was proud to be the beneficiary at this year's Little Monsters event at The Disneyland Resort. Cast members and their families and friends brought baby items and diapers to donate. 
 Essential items to care for a growing baby include milk, baby wipes, lots of kisses and hugs, and of course, a healthy stock of diapers! Most of us can agree that diapers are a necessary item for parents, yet, for many low-income families, having the ability to provide diapers for their baby is an ongoing challenge.
Diaper Need is the struggle to provide babies with an essential need - diapers. This is the hardship of many parents, not to mention the emotional strain and distress of not being able to provide such an essential need for their baby.
As we enter into this holiday season of family, reflection and giving thanks, please consider taking part in MOMS Orange County's Diapers in December Drive. We are committed to helping families have healthy babies and recognize that sometimes, it starts with something as simple as diapers.
To donate and drop off diapers or for more information, please contact Yvonne Sanders by phone at (714) 352-3427 or email at ysanders@momsorangecounty.org.
Read about Diaper Need in the U.S. and Canada (June 2010) CLICK HEREFor other ways to support MOMS Orange County's programs and families this holiday season CLICK HERE
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Help Support MOMS Through The Combined Federal Campaign
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Another way to support MOMS Orange County and other worldwide programs is through the SoCal Tri-County Combined Federal Campaign. The Combined Federal Campaign is the only authorized solicitation of employees in the Federal workplace on behalf of charitable organizations. The mission of the CFC is to promote and support philanthropy through a program that is employee focused, cost-efficient, and effective in providing all federal employees the opportunity to improve the quality of life for all.
If you would like to designate a donation to support MOMS Orange County, please reference the 5-digit code of 67909.
Click here for more information on the SoCal Tri-County CFC (formerly separately CFCs of Orange, San Bernardino, Western Riverside and Mojave).
Click here for information on U.S. Office of Personnel Management CFC Homepage (with special message by 2010 Honorary Chair U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton).
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Every Baby Deserves a Healthy Start
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Pregnancy and awaiting the birth of one's baby is an exciting time of self-care, preparation and anticipation. For many couples, the exhilaration of the delivery surrenders to the joy and awe of meeting their newborn in person for the first time, caressing its silky soft skin and sprinkling its cheeks with butterfly kisses.
Imagine awaiting these precious moments but instead becoming engulfed in trauma, anxiety and turmoil when you go into early labor and your baby arrives early. Instead of gazing tenderly at her breastfeeding newborn, a mother tearfully reflects on the fragility of life behind the plated glass of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), her baby under close supervision and relying on monitors and machines for its breathe of life.
Premature birth (a baby born at less than 37 weeks gestation) is the leading cause of death for newborns in the U.S. In fact, about 1 in 8 babies born in the U.S. are premature - a higher rate than most developed nations. (click here to read entire story)
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A Personal Encounter with Premature Birth
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MOMS Orange County CEO, Pamela Pimentel, shares her own
personal encounter with premature birth and how the experience directly affects her work to improve the birth outcomes of babies
in Orange County.
 My 2nd child, Annemarie, was born 10 weeks before her expected due date. After being introduced to this world prematurely at just 30 weeks, Annemarie spent the next 4 weeks in the hospital in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Everyday, I would look through that glass at my tiny child, my own flesh and blood, having to rely on machines for survival. It was one of the most heart-wrenching experiences I've ever had to face. Here I was, a Registered Nurse with professional experience in the NICU, surrounded by the love and support of my family and friends, yet I felt very much alone and utterly helpless as a mother of a very sick baby...
(read entire story here)
Do you have a personal story to share about your encounter with preterm labor/premature birth? Click here to share with us
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Call For Santa's Helpers
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 Adopt-a-Family is MOMS Orange County's annual holiday giving event to benefit our clients and their families. This year, more than 100 families have been adopted by our generous community supporters at The Disneyland Resort and The Boeing Company! MOMS is looking for Santa's helpers and elves to help receive the gifts during drop-off week and distribute to our client families in December. It is a wonderful chance to be a part of the magic and witness the compassion, love and cheerfulness that thrives during the holiday season. For more information on volunteering with the MOMS Adopt-a-Family Program in December please contact Yvonne Sanders by phone at (714) 352-3427 or email at ysanders@momsorangecounty.org. Click here for Adopt-a-Family FAQs
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Give Through THE UNITED WAY
Make a positive difference in someone's life today. Join the thousands of Individuals who GIVE UNITED.
Orange County United Way's mission is to build self-sufficient lives for the health of our community. To achieve that mission, OCUW:
· Meet's today's needs, supporting a safety net of care for people's basic needs -food, housing, shelter and medical care.
· Improve lives tomorrow, researching and supporting solutions for long term change focused on education and financial stability to move people from dependency to self-sufficiency.
The Community Impact Fund has been used to support programs such as MOMS Orange County's Better Babies for Orange County.
For more information, please contact Michele Silva, Director of Development, by phone at (714) 352-3420 or email at msilva@momsorangecounty.org
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 Check out the Fall 2010 Issue of The California Wellness Foundation's Grantee Magazine for a mention of MOMS Orange County (page 20).
Download the PDF issue here
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About MOMS Orange County
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mission of MOMS Orange County is to help women and their families have
healthy babies by offering health care coordination, education, and
access to community services.
For more information about MOMS Orange County and our services, please visit our website at www.momsorangecounty.org
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