If all pregnant women in the U.S. stopped smoking, there would be an estimated 10 percent reduction in infant deaths, according to the U.S. Public Health Service. Currently, about 13 percent of pregnant women in the U.S. smoke during pregnancy. Every eight seconds a baby is born in the United States. Every hour four babies die. Black infants are more than twice as likely to die before their first birthday as white infants.
Birth defects are the leading cause of infant mortality.
One in five infant deaths is due to birth defects. Every 3 minutes a baby is born with a birth defect. Every two minutes a low birthweight baby is born. Every year more than 5,500 babies are born weighing less than one pound. Every minute a baby is born to a teen mother.