Despite all of the high-tech medical and scientific technology, the United States still has the highest rate of premature births of any developed nation in the world. Why is this the case? QUEST met with some of the San Francisco Bay Area researchers working to answer that question. Take a look at this informative new video program now available online from PBS channel KQED in the San Francisco Bay Area. Subscribe to Type-A Mom articles

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Why does the United States have so many babies who are born too soon?

Why does the United states have the highest rate of premature births in any of the developed nations of the world?

The QUEST team met with some of the leading San Francisco Bay Area researchers and physicians who are working in the field of neonatology to discover the reasons for the high rate of preterm births.

They also explored some of the technology, research and cutting-edge medical procedures used to care for the most vulnerable newborns.

You can watch the "Born Too Soon: Premature Births on the Rise" program through the link below (click watch), or visit the Quest website for the program.

More NICU Photos: Additional Photos from the series are available for viewing in Flickr, as you go behind the scenes with the production team, filming in a neonatal nursery.

• View as Separate Slides
• View as a Slide Show

Updates to the Show - Bed Rest for the Producer

Two weeks after filming the the story on premature births titled "Born Too Soon: Preterm Births on the Rise" Producer Amy Miller was placed on bed rest for preterm labor. She describes her experience in this Quest Blog post.

Updates to the Show - The Twins Arrived Safely

The news was good from Producer Amy Miller. After doing her story on Preterm Births and NICU Parents, she gave birth to her twins on 7/27, reporting in a blog entry on 7/31 that "Both boys came out crying and pink" and "because they’re so healthy, the babies will likely go home a few days later."

What is QUEST? KQED’s QUEST is a new multimedia series that looks at the people behind San Francisco Bay Area science and environmental issues. The program also explores how the work of these people is changing the way we live. QUEST is a production of KQED.

QUEST Television airs every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. PST on KQED 9, KQED HD, and in vivid high definition on Comcast 709.

Sources:

• QUEST. Born Too Soon: Preterm Births on the Rise. July 24, 2007.
• Miller, A. Amy's update: Dispatch from CPMC. Born Too Soon: Preterm Births on the Rise. QUEST Science Blog. July 24, 2007.
• Miller, A. Amy's update: The twins arrived safely on 7/27. Born Too Soon: Preterm Births on the Rise. QUEST Science Blog. July 31, 2007.

Photo Source: Born Too Soon. Quest. 2007.

About the Author Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS, FT is a respected physician, an expert in life challenges, loss, grief and bereavement, professional health educator, professor, lecturer and author. She is also a former NICU Parent. Dr. Dyer created and has maintained Journey of Hearts, a website for anyone who has ever experienced a loss. She is also the founder of the NICU Parent Support Site developed to provide information, encouragement and support for NICU parents.