CINCINNATI — In Hamilton County, more babies died before their first birthday in 2024 compared to the year before. That's according to data shared by the organization Cradle Cincinnati.
According to the data, the infant mortality rate in the county was 6.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, an increase from 5.5 in 2023.
Executive Director Meredith Smith said it's a problem they've been working to solve for more than a decade.
"Expect that the rate will rise and fall, we are still moving in the right direction," Smith said.
Smith said that the leading cause of infant deaths is preterm birth. Data showed that 34 babies died from preterm birth-related causes in 2024, a nearly 55% jump from 2023.
"For that, we are really asking that women get into care in their first trimester," Smith said. "It is the most linked intervention to lowering premature births."
Hear more on the advice Smith and others have for parents in the video below:
Smith said sleep-related deaths are also a concerning trend.
She said, while the numbers are unsettling, the county has seen a downward trend overall over the past decade.
"We don't want you to feel fear, most of the time it goes well, what you want to be is educated and you want to be supported," Smith said.
Providing education and support is exactly what Rosemary Oglesby-Henry is trying to do.
She is the CEO of Rosemary's Babies, an organization that helps teens adjust to parenthood.
"Nobody wants to hear about any babies dying," Oglesby-Henry said.
Oglesby-Henry showed us around their new Holloway House off Reading Road in Avondale. It includes play areas, food and soon housing for families who need it.
"Everything is about reducing stress and making their life more efficient," Oglesby-Henry said.
She said she does it because she was also a teen mom who needed help.
"There were strangers that took me in and strangers that showed me kindness outside of just my regular family that helped me to move forward in times where I really needed somebody," Oglesby-Henry said.
While she said the number of infants dying is concerning, Oglesby-Henry said community partners are working hard to find a solution to bring it back down.
"We're going to continue to do more and we're going to work even harder at it," said Oglesby-Henry.
