What is Preterm Birth

A premature baby is one who is born too early, before 37 weeks. Premature babies may have more health problems and may need to stay in the hospital longer than babies born later.

About preterm birth

Worldwide 15 million babies are born preterm each year and for one million of these, the day they are born is the day they die. Preterm birth is the single greatest cause of death and disability in children up to five years of age in the developed world. In Australia, more than 36,000 babies are born too soon – approximately 1 in 12 pregnancies ends preterm. This rate is more than double amongst Aboriginal and disadvantaged communities. Those born at the earliest gestational ages may suffer from severe problems such as cerebral palsy, developmental delay, chronic lung disease, diabetes or blindness. For those born at a later gestation, even approaching full-term, there may be behavioural and learning problems.

Discovering how to prevent this major complication of pregnancy needs to be one of the highest priorities for our profession and our community. Until recently, implementation of a whole-of-population strategy was nothing more than a researcher’s dream, but a variety of recent discoveries have made the assembling of an effective program possible.


 

Premature babies

A premature baby is one who is born too early, before 37 weeks. Premature babies may have more health problems and may need to stay in the hospital longer than babies born later. The earlier in pregnancy a baby is born, the more likely he is to have health problems. Some premature babies have to spend time in a hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (also called NICU). This is the part of a hospital that takes care of sick newborns. But thanks to advances in medical care, even babies born very prematurely are more likely to survive today than ever before.
 

What health problems can premature babies have after birth?

Health problems that may affect premature babies include:

  • Apnea. This is a pause in breathing for 20 seconds or more. Premature babies sometimes have apnea. It may happen together with a slow heart rate.
  • Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). This is a breathing problem most common in babies born before 34 weeks of pregnancy. Babies with RDS don’t have a protein called surfactant that keeps small air sacs in the lungs from collapsing.
  • Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). This is bleeding in the brain. It usually happens near the ventricles in the center of the brain. A ventricles is a space in the brain that’s filled with fluid.
  • Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). This is a heart problem that happens in the connection (called the ductus ateriosus) between two major blood vessels near the heart. If the ductus doesn’t close properly after birth, a baby can have breathing problems or heart failure. Heart failure is when the heart can’t pump enough blood.
  • Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). This is a problem with a baby’s intestines. It can cause feeding problems, a swollen belly and diarrhea. It sometimes happens 2 to 3 weeks after a premature birth.
  • Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). This is an abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eye. ROP can lead to vision loss.
  • Jaundice. This is when a baby's eyes and skin look yellow. A baby has jaundice when his liver isn't fully developed or isn't working well.
  • Anemia. This is when a baby doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to the rest of the body.
  • Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). This is a lung condition that can develop in premature babies as well as babies who have treatment with a breathing machine. Babies with BPD sometimes develop fluid in the lungs, scarring and lung damage.
  • Infections. Premature babies often have trouble fighting off germs because their immune systems are not fully formed. Infections that may affect a premature baby include pneumonia, a lung infection; sepsis, a blood infection; and meningitis, an infection in the fluid around the brain and spinal cord.

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