One in Eight Babies Born Premature in Puerto Rico: March of Dimes Marks 30 Years, Launches 2026 March for Babies

Puerto Rico closed out 2024 with 2,217 babies born before 37 weeks of gestation, a preterm birth rate of 12.2 percent — meaning one in every eight babies born on the island arrives early — according to figures from March of Dimes' PeriStats system, cited by the organization this week as it marks 30 years of presence in Puerto Rico ¹². The figure places the island 48th out of 52 jurisdictions evaluated (the 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico) in the organization's national preterm birth ranking ².

Background

March of Dimes established a chapter in Puerto Rico in 1996 with a mission to reduce infant mortality and preterm births on the island. Since then, the organization reports that Puerto Rico's infant mortality rate has dropped from 10.5 to 7.1 per 1,000 live births, a decline it attributes to three decades of work in scientific research, legislative advocacy, family education, and direct support for parents with babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) ¹². The anniversary comes at a time when the island's maternal-infant health system faces additional pressure from population decline, the exodus of specialists, and access gaps in municipalities outside the metro area — factors the organization identifies as part of the structural challenge behind the prematurity figure ¹.

The case of Alexa Valedón Rodríguez, now a young girl who was born at 29 weeks of gestation and spent 45 days in the NICU at Ashford Hospital in San Juan, serves as a public example of the kind of story the organization uses to illustrate the problem. Her mother, Yamila Rodríguez García, has shared her experience as part of the 30th-anniversary awareness campaign ¹.

The Numbers

• 12.2%: Puerto Rico's preterm birth rate in 2024 (babies born before 37 weeks) ¹².
• 2,217: total number of premature babies born on the island in 2024 ¹.
• 48 of 52: Puerto Rico's rank on March of Dimes' preterm birth ranking, among the 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico ².
• 7.1 per 1,000: Puerto Rico's current infant mortality rate, compared with 10.5 per 1,000 when March of Dimes arrived on the island in 1996 ².
• 9.4% and 5.0 per 1,000: March of Dimes' targets for 2030 — cutting prematurity to 9.4% and infant mortality to 5.0 per 1,000 births ².
• $310,000: fundraising goal for the 2026 March for Babies, the organization's flagship event in Puerto Rico ³.
• Friday, September 25, 2026, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.: date and time of the March for Babies at the Juan "Pachín" Vicéns Auditorium in Ponce ³⁴.
• For the first time, the march will have three local television godmothers (ambassadors): Gil Marie López (Telemundo), Katiria Soto (NotiCentro Wapa TV), and Kimberly Santiago (TeleOnce) ⁴.

What This Means For You

If you're pregnant or planning to be, this figure — one in eight babies — is not abstract: it means preterm birth is one of the most common maternal-infant health risks on the island, above the average for most U.S. states ². Early and consistent prenatal care, managing conditions like high blood pressure and gestational diabetes, and access to high-risk pregnancy specialists are the factors that most reduce that risk, according to the evidence the organization itself uses to justify its education and advocacy programs ¹². For families who have already gone through a preterm birth and NICU stay — like Alexa Valedón and her mom Yamila — March of Dimes offers peer-support networks, educational resources, and companion programs operating in hospitals across the island ¹.

How To Do It / Checklist

1. Start prenatal care in the first trimester. Schedule your first obstetric visit as soon as you confirm pregnancy; early monitoring catches conditions linked to preterm birth in time.
2. Ask about your specific risk factors. A history of preterm birth, multiple pregnancies, hypertension, or diabetes raises risk; your OB can refer you to a maternal-fetal medicine specialist if needed.
3. Check your Plan Vital or private insurance coverage. Confirm which prenatal visits, ultrasounds, and lab tests are covered before unexpected costs arise during pregnancy.
4. If your baby is born premature, seek NICU family support from day one. Ask the hospital about family-companion programs, including those March of Dimes facilitates at several centers across the island.
5. Join or donate to the March for Babies. The event is Friday, September 25, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the Juan "Pachín" Vicéns Auditorium in Ponce; funds raised go directly to research and family-support programs on the island. For information, call (787) 765-6052 ³.

What's Next

March of Dimes has set 2030 as its next measurable target: lowering Puerto Rico's prematurity rate from 12.2% to 9.4% and infant mortality from 7.1 to 5.0 per 1,000 births ². The organization said it will keep focusing resources on scientific research, advocacy before the Legislature and Congress, education for expecting families, and expanding direct NICU support as part of its strategy toward that goal ¹². The September 25 March for Babies in Ponce will be the first major public event of the new 30th-anniversary phase, with a $310,000 fundraising goal and the participation of three new television ambassadors as part of the visibility push ³⁴.

Sources ¹ El Nuevo Día — "30 años salvando vidas: March of Dimes refuerza su lucha por bajar los nacimientos prematuros en Puerto Rico" (September 18, 2026) ² March of Dimes PeriStats — Puerto Rico Report / Report Card ³ March for Babies — Official Ponce event page ⁴ El Nuevo Día — "Tres figuras de la televisión se unen como madrinas de la 'Marcha por los Bebés'"