Concerns or issues of pregancy
Pre mature babies
Information about premature babies
Pre mature births occur to around 5-10% of births in developed countries. This usually happens before the 37 week mark, and is the largest contributor to infant death.
preterm boys re more likely to die than girls.
Around the world 15 million babies are born pre mature and out of all those over 1 million sadly lose their lives. 25,000 babies are born pre-term is Australia.
Premature births kill 1 baby every 30 seconds.
Risk factors
In most premature births the cause is unknown, but here are some risk factors that will increase the chance of having a preterm baby.
- previous premature birth
- some conditions of the uterus or cervix, such as fibroids or a weakened cervix.
- multiple pregnancy.
- maternal infection or condition that needs to make birth be brought on quicker to help the mother and baby.
- alcohol, drugs and tobacco.
Survival / Gestational stages
Survival depends on how pre mature the baby is. There are four different gestational stages.
The first one is the extremely premature stage which ranges from 23 - 28 weeks.
The second one is the very premature stage which ranges from 28 - 32 weeks.
The third one is moderately premature which ranges from 32 - 36 weeks.
The fourth one is late preterm which ranges from 36 - 37 weeks.