BabyFirst.com Announces Release of Baby Hero on iTunes in Celebration of World Prematurity Day

TELFORD, Pa., Nov. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- BabyFirst.com, an online-resource focused exclusively on neonatal care, announces the availability of its Baby Hero song on iTunes, beginning today. The release coincides with the annual celebration of World Prematurity Day when organizations worldwide join together to bring attention to premature birth, highlight educational resources and discuss lifesaving medical advances.

The Baby Hero song will cost $0.99. Any profit made by the sales of the song will help BabyFirst.com to continue supporting non-profit neonatal and parental organizations in realizing their objectives of raising awareness for prematurity, funding resources for clinical research and others.

In conjunction with Baby Hero, BabyFirst.com also announces the premiere of its new documentary, 50 Years of Neonatal Care: The Passion that Drives us Forward. Both Baby Hero and the documentary are available on the BabyFirst website and on the BabyFirst Facebook page.

Baby Hero was created to give a voice to those involved in the care of premature babies. The song is dedicated to doctors and nurses that work daily to ensure the best possible care for their fragile patients, to parents who work relentlessly with great determination and hope to give their babies the best care and love and to premature babies themselves as they fight for a better day.

The release of Baby Hero will complement BabyFirst.com, a single destination where neonatal doctors and nurses can exchange information and experiences online – across a range of neonatal care specialties such as thermoregulation, jaundice management, respiratory care, developmental care, neonatal anesthesia, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) designs, infection control, vital signs monitoring and nutrition.

The website also offers parents and families of premature babies a trusted resource to gain better understanding of what they can expect in the NICU – with insight into common terms, procedures, equipment, post-hospital care and more.

BabyFirst.com, which will soon be available in further languages (Spanish and German), also features real-life testimonials and inspiring stories of premature babies, who with the help of research and technology advancements, have grown and prospered. BabyFirst.com was developed in partnership with NICUniversity, a Web-based medical continuing education center for neonatal practitioners, and has touched countless lives since its initial launch in 2010.

"The release of Baby Hero marks a step in the direction to heighten awareness about premature birth," said Ali Pourrad, Head of Marketing and Business Development for Neonatal Care and Thermoregulation, Draeger. "We remain committed to advancing clinical knowledge, clinical practice and family focus through BabyFirst.com," he added.

Globally, 12.9 million babies – approximately 10 percent – of the world birth population are born prematurely each year.(1)

Premature babies are born underdeveloped, meaning vital organs will not function at optimal levels and some may not be ready to operate at all. For this reason, babies are placed in NICUs and cared for by specialists. In many countries, the lack of equipment, the lack of staff and the lack of up-to-date care methods further exacerbate the complications of premature birth. Sadly, premature birth leads to almost 30 percent of the annual neonatal death rate.(2)

"When my twins were born prematurely, I did not know what to expect," said Liza Sneyd, mother of two premature infants. "Guidance from my doctor and educational resources truly helped me navigate several tough decisions and put my mind at ease. With the launch of Baby Hero, I know that I am not alone and I will continue to advocate for the care of premature babies," she added.

For further information, please visit www.babyfirst.com or http://www.facebook.com/pages/BabyFirst/104751642893984?ref=ts.

Babyfirst – clinical knowledge and family focus all in one place www.babyfirst.com is an online-resource focused exclusively on neonatal care. It supports clinicians and parents of premature or sick infants with practical information, making it easier to guide their baby in its early stage of life. The website is supported by Draeger, an international leader in the fields of medical and safety technology, and NICUniversity, a Web-based medical education center for clinical professionals.

References

(1) Beck, S., Wojdyla, D., Say, L., Betran, A. P., Merialdi, M., Requejo, J. H., Rubens, C., Menon, R., & Van Look, P. F. A. (2010). The worldwide incidence of preterm birth: A systematic review of maternal mortality and morbidity. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 88(1), 1-80. doi: 10.2471/BLT.08.062554

(2) Lawn, J. E., Cousens, S., & Zupan, J. (2005). 4 million neonatal deaths: When? Where? Why? Lancet, 365(9462), 891-900. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)71048-5

SOURCE BabyFirst