9 Hour Twitterthon for Global Good Features Celebrities and Prizes by TERI WHITCRAFT

Imagine ‘Dancing with the Stars’ finalist Ricki Lake, world-renowned photographer Anne Geddes,  the wife of the former British Prime Minister Sarah Brown  and ABC News’ Dr. Richard Besser – all coming to your house for a baby shower?

That’s what’s happening today in the World’s Largest Baby Shower, a 9-hour tweetathon and BabyCenter Community party  Tuesday, November 8 th, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.   (#amillionmoms)

The day-long extravaganza will also give away valuable  prizes – like DVDs of Ricki Lake’s documentary “The Business of Being Born”, an iPod Nano,  T-shirts, a charm necklace, beautiful handmade scarves and jewelry – even 2 goats and 4 chickens (to be donated to a mom in need)!

For a $20 donation get a Million Moms Challenge T-Shirt, courtesy of Johnson&Johnson. Go to www.MillionMomsChallenge.com/Take_Action

The Sisterhood of Motherhood

In addition to the celebrities and prizes, the Baby Shower for Global Good promises to provide something far more valuable:  information that could change your life  – and possibly even the world.

Hosted by BabyCenter, the virtual baby shower is part of an historic, first-of-its kind initiative called the Million Moms Challenge, launched by ABC News and the UN Foundation.  The Challenge is a call to action to  engage millions of Americans with a million moms overseas around the shared dream of a healthy pregnancy and a baby who will survive and thrive.

According to Tina Sharkey, CEO of BabyCenter, the Baby Shower for Global Good is  a way for moms and dads to celebrate “the sisterhood of motherhood.”

“The birth of a mother is universal,” Sharkey told ABC News. “Whether your child is born in a hut or in a private hospital room, that moment of profound transformation is the same. No matter what language you speak, what personal belief system guides you, or what border surrounds you, at our core, all moms want the exact same thing – a happy and healthy family.”

Helping One Mother at a Time

Each hour in the twitterthon will feature some of the most respected organizations working on maternal/newborn health around the world, including Save the Children, Partners in Health, World Vision, Riders for Health, International Medical Corps, White Ribbon Alliance, ONE.org.

The information from top experts around the globe may surprise you.  For example, did you know that:

• 1 in 3 women in the world give birth without a skilled birth attendant?
• Every 90 seconds, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth?
• 1.5 million children under the age of 5 die from pneumonia each year?
• 1 in 3 children suffer from malnutrition?
• The US rate for maternal mortality is the highest of any industrialized nation?

But internationally known photographer Anne Geddes, who is donating several coffee table books to the Baby Shower, shared this advice for those feeling overwhelmed by statistics:  “My advice would be that when you feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of women and children who need help, break that down to one mother … one child, and you may be able to identify better with the help that this one individual requires,” Geddes told ABC News.

“You don’t have to help a hundred, a thousand, or a million people in need, you only need to help one.  If each of us can achieve that through the Million Moms Campaign, you can only imagine the difference we as women and mothers can make.

How to Save a Life, In 140 Characters or Less

During the Tweetathon, you’ll also learn crucial tips:

• How pregnant moms in the US can get free 3 free text messages a week timed to their due date;
• How the old cellphone in your bottom drawer could save lives overseas;
• How we can save a child’s life every 20 seconds if we give children around the world access to existing vaccines;
• And how you can help feed a malnourished child simply by simply buying a 2Degree  health bar at your local Whole Foods store.

Experts participating in the Baby Shower for Global Good  include ABC News’ Senior Health and Medical Editor  Dr. Richard Besser  and Anita Sharma -  the director of the Millennium Development Goals Initiatives at the United Nations Foundation.  You’ll hear from pediatricians and cancer experts,  documentary filmmakers and midwives on motorcycles, mom bloggers and dads who care about moms.

“We all get so caught up in our busy everyday lives as mothers – whether we’re shopping for food, taking our kids to school or to the doctor, going to work.. or just trying to make it through the day on time with a smile,” said BabyCenter’s Tina Sharkey.  “It takes time to stop and think about moms just like us on the other side of the world, moms who are trying to juggle so many of the same things in more severe and dire circumstances.”

One like = $1

You can raise money for moms and babies by simply “liking” the Million Moms Challenge Page on http://www.facebook.com/millionmomschallenge or by signing up on  MillionMomsChallenge.com.  In recognition of the first 100,000 people who sign up or like us, Johnson & Johnson will donate $100,000 to some of the most respected organizations helping moms and babies around the world.

To join the Million Moms Baby Shower for Global Good, visit Tweetchat.com and enter #amillionmoms in the search box at the top of the page or join the Babies group in the BabyCenter Community.