Tonya Brooks of Orangeburg didn't know what to expect when her infant son was born four months earlier than anticipated, but the subsequent battle for his life taught her many important lessons about him and herself.

Weighing in at just 2 pounds, little Antonio came into the world on Christmas Day 2005. He wasn't expected until April Fool's Day of the following year.

He stayed at Palmetto Health Richland for 96 days, with his family maintaining an almost constant vigil by his side. Antonio couldn't breathe on his own and was on life support during his hospital stay.

He eventually went home with his parents in August 2006. He had to remain on a heart monitor upon his arrival back home, with his parents having to sometimes tap him in his sleep to get him to breathe, but he has now grown into a bubbly, loving child who his parents say can't stop talking.

Brooks said the story of her high-risk pregnancy reads like a book on the importance of prenatal care and being healthy before and during pregnancy.

"I was high-risk throughout my pregnancy. I already had diabetes, but I also developed hypertension during the pregnancy," Brooks said. "My family has just been through a lot with that. It's just been an experience I wouldn't want anybody to have to go through."

"That's why I can tell anybody that when you have a high-risk pregnancy, please take care of yourself. Not only does it protect you, it protects the baby, too," she said.

Because of her desire to motivate other mothers, Brooks has been designated as an ambassador during Low Country Healthy Start's celebration of National Infant Mortality Awareness Month.

"I was shocked, excited and overwhelmed. I just encourage anybody to get into the Low Country Healthy Start program," said Brooks, who considers her baby "a miracle."

"It was hard, between working, trying to get rest and worrying about him," said Earl Brooks, Antonio's father. "It was a long road, but thank God we have gotten it over with, hopefully anyway. Now, we have to deal with him talking and not wanting to stop."

Barbara Felder, Antonio's maternal grandmother, doesn't mind him talking. To her, it's a sign of how far God has brought the bright-eyed toddler.

"He is a blessed child," Felder said. "The first day I went to see him, I was overwhelmed. I prayed that God would take care of him. I know that God is a miracle God. That's his job, to perform miracles, and that's what he did."

Beginning on Sept. 1, the Denmark-based maternal wellness program kicked off a month-long campaign to increase awareness of the high infant mortality rate in South Carolina, particularly among blacks.

"Helping women to be healthy before pregnancy is a key step. Eliminating disparities in perinatal health should be a priority for us all," said LCHS Program Director Virginia Berry White.

Blacks experience approximately double the infant mortality rate as do white infants in the same area. The state Department of Health and Environmental Control reports that the infant mortality rate in South Carolina for blacks was 14.6 per 1,000 live births, compared to 6.7 percent for whites.

There is a trend, as 524 of the state's babies never celebrated their first birthday in 2004. The majority of those infants were black.

"We can make improvements by focusing energy, resources and skills to reduce infant deaths, help women improve their health before pregnancy and encouraging men and women to learn about what is required to have a healthy, happy newborn," White said.

Tonya Brooks said she was on medication and had to change the way she ate when she was pregnant.

"I gave up just about everything when it came to that part," she said. "That's why I encourage any young woman that plans on having a baby to please take care of themselves. Go to appointments and do whatever the doctors tell you to do. That's the only way it's gonna work."

LCHS is administered through the South Carolina State Office of Rural Health, which received a federal grant in September 1997 to reduce infant mortality in the four rural, underserved counties of Allendale, Bamberg, Hampton and Orangeburg. In its 11th year of operation, LCHC continues to address perinatal disparities with services ranging from outreach and case management to health education and interconceptional care.

"We have a strong, community-based coalition working to address the problem. Some of our partners include local obstetric providers, family practitioners, health departments, federally qualified health centers, social services, schools and grassroots organizations," White said. "Our program has had great success. In 2005 and 2006, LCHS had zero deaths. In 2006, LCHS had 93 percent of its program participants initiate prenatal care in the first trimester."

To learn more about reducing infant mortality or for a list of activities scheduled for Infant Mortality Awareness Month, call LCHS toll-free at 1-888-581-0319.

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5534. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

You must be logged in to comment.