Infant Mortality Rate Decreases

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) WOLO — “Twice blessed, we are twice blessed,” says Brenna Osborn Two years ago, Geoff and Brenna Osborn became the proud parents of twins, Riley and Quinn. But, their two blessings came prematurely. “They were born at 34 weeks, because of some complications my daughter, Riley had,” says Geoff Osborn. At birth, Riley weighed just 2 1/2 pounds, while her brother Quinn’s lung had not yet fully developed. Their first fifteen days of life were spent in the neonatal unit at Palmetto Health Richland. “We just visited with them and gave them the support we could that way,” says Osborn All of that support paid off as the twins were finally able to go home. The Osborn’s are the success story that Dr. Iskersky of Palmetto Health, wants to see more of. In 2009, the infant mortality rate fell to 7.1, that’s down from 8.0 in 2008. “It shows our health is improving and our babies are living longer, says Dr. Iskersky. Dr. Lisa Waddell, with DHEC says although this is good now, expecting mothers still need to do their part. “Mother’s need to do their best to plan their pregnancies and to get as healthy as possible ahead of time,” says Dr. Waddell. DHEC has partnered with organizations like the March of Dimes to educate expecting mothers. One thing they stress, is the ABC’s of Sleep. A stands for alone, while B means on the back and C stands for in the crib. Meanwhile, the Osborn’s are enjoying life with two healthy two year old twins. “Being a parents that have gotten to bring our children home from the hospital, healthy is just, we can’t stress enough how important it is to improve the health of the mom’s and the babies, so that each baby has a better chance at life,” says Geoff Osborn. “They are very much our joy and our blessings and they keep me busy,” says Brenna Osborn.