Milwaukee Strong Baby Sabbath; babies are dying, solution starts with talk
MILWAUKEE - Babies are dying in Milwaukee. Advocates say the solution starts with a conversation – and churches are kicking off the talk.
"Infants die before their first birthday in Milwaukee more than they do in a Third World country," said Julia Means, Strong Baby Sabbath Organizer.
Means calls Milwaukeee's infant mortality rate a crisis.
"We want every child in Milwaukee to reach their first birthday and thrive in life," Means said.
Ascension Wisconsin say 100 babies in Milwaukee die each year before their first birthday. Research attributes the deaths to things like prematurity, birth defects, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Julia Means
"We have to eliminate that," Means said.
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This Sunday, Oct. 16 is Strong Baby Sabbath – a day when 36 churches in the Milwaukee area will promote health and education – like safe sleep-- for mothers and their babies.
"Let’s go through the ABCs, the A stands for ‘alone’ the B is ‘on their back,’ and they should sleep in a ‘crib’ and they should sleep in a ‘smoke-free environment,'" said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson
"I see my babies and I see how healthy and well they are doing, and it makes me feel proud to know I had a part in this," Means said.