Around 8% of babies born each year are born early. Premature labour occurs before the 37th week of pregnancy and occurs in 5-10% of all pregnancies. A pregnancy generally lasts between 38 and 42 weeks. Most babies born before 32 weeks gestation will need to be cared for at a Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery.
Premature labour may sometimes be stopped with a combination of rest and medications. Otherwise, staff will try to delay the labour long enough for the mother to be transferred to a hospital with a Level 3 Nursery and given medication to help speed up the baby’s lung development.
It’s important for all pregnant women to be aware of the symptoms of possible pregnancy complications or premature labour.
About half of the women who have premature babies have no known risk factors, so everyone needs to be aware of the signs and symptoms.
To help explain the signs, symptoms and risk factors associated with premature birth we have designed the following infographic.
The thing to always remember is that no mum expects to have a premature baby, so make sure you get regular check-ups and monitor your body throughout your pregnancy.
