Why premature babies are born

The team will keep your baby warm and help them to breathe with an oxygen mask or breathing tube, and possibly medicine. Some babies need help to keep their heart beating with cardio-pulmonary resuscitation CPR or an injection of adrenalin.

Babies born at 36 to 37 weeks usually look like small full-term babies. Very premature babies will be small perhaps fitting in your hand and look very fragile. Most premature babies will develop normally, but they are at higher risk of developmental problems so will need regular health and development checks at the hospital or with a paediatrician.

For example, a 6-month-old baby who was born 2 months early would have a corrected age of 4 months. That means they may only be doing the things that other 4-month-olds do. Most paediatricians recommend correcting age when assessing growth and development until your child is 2 years old.

The hospital will not send your baby home until they are confident both the baby and you are ready. Staff will make sure you understand how to care for your baby at home. They will also show you how to use any equipment you may need.

You will need appointments to see a neonatologist newborn baby doctor or paediatrician. Your local child and family health nurse will also see you regularly. It is normal to feel a little worried when you are looking after your baby yourself after so long in hospital. Take it slowly in a calm and quiet environment until you both get used to being at home. You can also call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby on to speak to a maternal child health nurse. Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

This essential guide for parents of premature babies covers gestational age, premature birth risk factors, premature labour and premature development.

Read more on raisingchildren. Premature babies are born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Our essential guide covers premature birth, babies, development, NICU and more. After a premature birth, it can be hard for dads. Get health problems treated. It's best to have any health problems like diabetes , depression, or high blood pressure under control before becoming pregnant.

But if you don't, talk to your doctor right away about a treatment plan. Eat a healthy diet. It's important to eat a variety of healthy foods before and during pregnancy. Take a prenatal vitamin to be sure you're getting enough folic acid , iron, and other important nutrients.

Gain the right amount of weight. How much weight you should gain depends on how much you weighed before you were pregnant. Most women who are at a healthy weight should gain about 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. Overweight women should probably gain less. Don't smoke, drink alcohol, or take illegal drugs.

Staying away from tobacco, alcohol, and drugs can help you and your baby avoid many serious health problems, like fetal alcohol syndrome and neonatal abstinence syndrome NAS. In most cases, preterm labor labor that happens too soon, before 37 weeks of pregnancy begins unexpectedly and the cause is unknown. Like regular labor, signs of early labor include—. We can work to reduce preterm birth using the following strategies :. CDC provides support to perinatal quality collaboratives PQCs , which are state or multi-state networks of teams of healthcare providers and public health professionals working to improve the quality of care for mothers and babies.

Funding supports the capabilities of PQCs to improve the quality of perinatal care in their states, including efforts to reduce preterm birth and improve prematurity outcomes. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Reproductive Health. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Share on: Facebook Twitter.

Show references Creasy RK, et al. Preterm labor and birth. Philadelphia, Pa. Accessed Oct. Boyle AK, et al.

Preterm birth: Inflammation, fetal injury and treatment strategies. Journal of Reproductive Immunology. Robinson JN, et al. Preterm birth: Risk factors, interventions for risk reduction, and maternal prognosis. Accessed Feb. Kliegman RM, et al. The high-risk infant. In: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. Elsevier; Fenton TR, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis to revise the Fenton growth chart for preterm infants. BMC Pediatrics. Landon MB, et al.

Patent ductus arteriosus PDA. Merck Manual Professional Version. Hay WW, et al.