Off topic: Premature babies in Alberta

This is completely off topic but I was just watching CTV news and learned that 1 in 8 babies born in Alberta is premature, the highest premature rate in the country! What is it about Alberta that we have this rate?? My opinion is stress on mommy's. In Alberta a lot of people seem to be all about money and stuff which translates into work work work yourself to the bone with not many holidays. I guess I am hoping it is something manageable like this rather than something environmental like toxins in the air from the oil sands (just throwing it out there)

Anyways, just felt the need to discuss this, sorry if some people are put off by me not talking about coupons.

I seem to remember Alberta also has a high rate of teen pregnancy,smoking mothers,etc and these factors are implicated in preemies.

Good prenatal care including management of diet, lifestyle, stress and doctors visits is so important something that not all can access

My friend had a babe at 29 wks. This babe is now 21 and finished her first university degree last spring.

I really don't think it has anything to do with the oil sands... Similar things exist all over the world.

One factor may be that we have two world class childrens hospitals in our province (along with some other top of line facilities), where other provinces don't have any. Mom's from other provinces with complications are sent to deliver where the facilities exist to care for their children. So if it's babies born in Alberta, and not babies born to Albertan moms that is going to affect the stats.

I don't know how we compare to the rest of the country, but I know that in some of our Northern communities we have more teen moms and teens moms are more likely to deliver early. We also have more mothers in those communities who drink and use drugs durring pregnancy, also contributing to early delivery. I only know how this compares north to south, not across the country. Please do not interpret this as mom's in northern Alberta all do this, there is just a higher rate of it.

There would be alot of factors contributing, just a couple I thought of.

Both my babies were early. one 4 weeks (not conciderd premature) and the other 6 weeks. I had good prenatal care, diet, exercise, no stress... Who knows why they came early, I dont.

I think it's just demographics, maybe Alberta has more births overall compared to other provinces? My son was a preemie - a full month early - but thankfully my doctor allowed me to pick my own due date, a week earlier than what 4 separate ultrasounds said, so medically he was not considered preemie but was 36 1/2 weeks from the EDD that I went with (I had my reasons for picking an earlier due date and it was not because I thought he'd be that early). I think my son decided to come early because his big sister kept poking at my belly and telling her little brother to come out!
The oilsands are in northeastern Alberta so any environmental effect they have would mostly be in the Fort McMurray, Fort McKay, Fort Chip areas and not over Alberta as a whole.

The increase in better medical intervention for things like high risk pregnancies might be a factor as well. Instead of some of the births being still born or people choosing to terminate a high risk pregnancy, people are choosing to maintain their pregnancies and part of any complications high risk pregnancies may have include preterm deliveries. It happened to a friend of mine very recently - she was encouraged to terminate a pregnancy because some doctor didn't think it was very viable, and then had issues during the pregnancy (abortion was not an option in her eyes) and then her son was about 6 weeks early - healthy, but early. Nothing environmental played a factor, nor would she have been worried about working or finances.

I personally resent when things like this get blamed on the oilsands. And things like premature birth have so many variables that need to be taken into consideration than just the fact there is an oilsands in this province. Unless there is a direct correlation that has been scientifically made, people can (and do) use the oilsands as an escape goat for problems - and most of the time, unjustifiably. There are pros and there are definitely cons to the whole Fort McMurray/north eastern AB industry sector; like everything else. My SO's cousin just had her baby 4 weeks early - she hadn't worked since the time she found out she was pregnant and did everything by the book. Her and her husband have no link to the oilsands either than being Edmontonians. I can say with certainly that I'm pretty sure their daughters early arrival didn't have anything to with that industry.

That is just my opinion. :)

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Originally Posted by Kelkens

I seem to remember Alberta also has a high rate of teen pregnancy,smoking mothers,etc and these factors are implicated in preemies.

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Good point! I never thought of those stats also being higher, I'm sure it has something to do with the number of preemies.

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Originally Posted by Orual

One factor may be that we have two world class childrens hospitals in our province (along with some other top of line facilities), where other provinces don't have any. Mom's from other provinces with complications are sent to deliver where the facilities exist to care for their children. So if it's babies born in Alberta, and not babies born to Albertan moms that is going to affect the stats.

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Also a good point, I am not sure if this study is based on babies born in Alberta or babies born to Alberta moms but if it is the former then for sure this would be a factor

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Originally Posted by Pinkflowergirl86

I personally resent when things like this get blamed on the oilsands. And things like premature birth have so many variables that need to be taken into consideration than just the fact there is an oilsands in this province. Unless there is a direct correlation that has been scientifically made, people can (and do) use the oilsands as an escape goat for problems - and most of the time, unjustifiably. There are pros and there are definitely cons to the whole Fort McMurray/north eastern AB industry sector; like everything else. My SO's cousin just had her baby 4 weeks early - she hadn't worked since the time she found out she was pregnant and did everything by the book. Her and her husband have no link to the oilsands either than being Edmontonians. I can say with certainly that I'm pretty sure their daughters early arrival didn't have anything to with that industry.

That is just my opinion. :)

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Don't take my comment personally. I merely mentioned the oil sands as something off the top of my head that Alberta had that other provinces don't. I do not know enough about the oil sands to make any sort of judgement on whether they would effect a pregnancy or not, although I do believe environmental factors can and do affect babies in the womb.

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Originally Posted by brigittewells

Good point! I never thought of those stats also being higher, I'm sure it has something to do with the number of preemies.



Also a good point, I am not sure if this study is based on babies born in Alberta or babies born to Alberta moms but if it is the former then for sure this would be a factor




Don't take my comment personally. I merely mentioned the oil sands as something off the top of my head that Alberta had that other provinces don't. I do not know enough about the oil sands to make any sort of judgement on whether they would effect a pregnancy or not, although I do believe environmental factors can and do affect babies in the womb.

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Oh, I'm not taking what you said personally - it's just the stigma in general that I do. Discussions are just that and every one will have a different opinion - but I just don't think that a lot of the things that people try to lay blame on the oilsands are justified. :)

Most of the studies I have seen are where they are born studies. It's alot more concreate than where did mom spend most of the gestation. The hospitals have all the stats on what babies were born there and at how many weeks they came. Finding out where mom lived while pregnant requires a survey and participants.

I agree with the first poster, Im a chartered accountant and management at a large CA, my little guy was born at 34 weeks - my job is very high stress. At the same time there were 7 other CAs pregnant, all of us about the same age, very healthy and active - 5 of us had premies and one girl lost her baby :( No one can tell me that that rate isnt related to our job stresses.

stress and a lot of teen pregnancies will def contribute to a hiher rate - this doest mean that other people dont have premies too - but Im betting smoking moms and high stress job moms have higher rates within alberta then those who dont smoke and are able to maintain low levels of stress