About 150,000 babies are born each year with birth defects. The parents of one out of every 28 babies receive the frightening news that their baby has a birth defect. Birth Defects Foundation Sadly, in 1996, about 19,000 babies died in their first month of life. Some premature babies also may have birth defects, which may cause or contribute to their death.
Prematurity is another important cause of neonatal deaths.
Birth Defects Information from March of Dimes Saving babies, together. Perinatal Tobacco Use Tobacco smoke poses grave risks to babies before and after they are born. During 1997, there were 7,632 cases of birth defects reported for children within the first year of birth. A higher mortality risk can be expected for children with birth defects well beyond the first year of life. The mortality rate for resident children under 5 years of age born during 1993 was 10.6 per 1,000.