NEW YORK STATE -- "We ended up with D, which is passing but barely! So we're not happy with that."

It's a grade that Doctor Richard Aubrey at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse would not be proud to bring home. Mothers of all ages, shapes, sizes and race are giving birth too soon. He says the primary cause is lack of proper health care. But that's not the only reason.

"The average age of women having children has upped by five or eight years by comparison with the 50s and 60s," Aubrey said.

Statistics show half a million babies are born before their time every year. If they’re born too soon, it can put the child in danger mentally. So the March of Dimes hopes to make government officials aware of the growing problem by submitting a petition with as many names as possible, asking the government for more funding to prevent premature births across the state.

But on Wednesday, Governor Paterson outlined plans to save New York State over $5 billion by controlling growth in spending across the board. So what can the government do if they're already fiscally strained?

"If health insurance was available for every woman who was of child bearing age, appropriate health insurance, you would see returns immediately because there would be less pre-term births that year," said Pat Campany, Division Director of March of Dimes of CNY.

"We need to do something to make mothers healthier. The premature births are predominately problems to do with maternal health, maternal access to care, maternal prenatal care. A great deal of things that hinge on the mother itself," added Aubry.

"One in eight babies in this community is born pre-term. You know somebody that's experienced this. So it's touched you emotionally as well as it's touched you economically. So you should care. Everyone should care," said Campany.

Preterm birth is the leading cause of death in the first month of life in the U.S. The preterm birth rate has increased more than 20 percent since 1990.

You can learn more at marchofdimes.com.