WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., July 1, 2014 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — More than 87,000 women have downloaded the March of Dimes CineMama App to create a video log of their pregnancy and receive the latest pregnancy health information from the March of Dimes.  Now, a select group of users will be featured in a new television public service announcement (PSA) featuring “selfies” from their photo diaries. The PSA reminds women, that if a pregnancy is healthy, it’s best to aim for at least 39 completed weeks of gestation before scheduling a delivery. 

“Every week of pregnancy is crucial to a newborn’s health,” says March of Dimes President Dr. Jennifer L. Howse.  “We believe that using ‘selfie’ photos will help reach today’s mothers-to-be, so they understand that healthy babies are worth the wait.”

The PSA is the work of Crossroads Communications, a Barkley Partner Company, of Kansas City, Mo. It is the second PSA of the 39 Weeks series that helped launch the March of Dimes CineMama App and has been widely placed pro-bono all across the country.

“There’s nothing more real than the journey of pregnancy,” said Mike Swenson, president of Crossroads. “The direction we chose is a fresh and relevant approach that has proven to resonate with today’s mom. She is already engaged in the trend of documenting the beauty of pregnancy, and now March of Dimes is providing encouragement and education when she needs it most.” 

Morgan Jenkins of northern California gave birth to a healthy daughter, Harper Jane, who weighed in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces at birth.  Ms. Jenkins’ photos were incorporated into the new PSA.

“It was useful and fun to watch my progress,” said Ms. Jenkins, whose pregnancy lasted 39 weeks and five days. “The app helped me ‘see’ the growth progress, keep track of my journey, and learn helpful tips along the way.”

CineMama is part of the March of Dimes “Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait” public awareness and consumer education campaign, which focuses on the importance of a full term pregnancy.

The campaign encourages women to wait for labor to begin on its own and health care providers to not schedule a delivery before at least 39 weeks of pregnancy, unless there is a medical necessity. Important development of the brain, lungs and other organs occur during the last weeks of pregnancy. Additional information is available at marchofdimes.org/39weeks.

Rising rates of scheduled inductions of labor and cesarean sections have been linked to increases in the rates of babies born just a few weeks too soon, between 34 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.

A broadcast quality version of the PSAs is available for television stations via this hyperlink.  

About March of Dimes
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. The March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.  For more than 75 years, moms and babies have benefited from March of Dimes research, education, vaccines, and breakthroughs.  For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

SOURCE March of Dimes