Our site uses cookies to make your experience on this site even better. We hope you think that is sweet.
A full-term pregnancy is a pregnancy that lasts for 40 weeks (calculated from the first day of the mother’s last periods). All the same, a delivery that happens between 38 to 42 weeks is also considered as a full term, as the baby will be healthy and developed well enough. Deliveries that take place more than three weeks before the due date are collectively called premature deliveries.
As explained above, a premature delivery happens before the beginning of the 37th week of gestation. Premature birth has a negative impression on the health of the child. Nevertheless, the severity depends on how early the delivery takes place. Earlier, the delivery, more severe and long-lasting, and risky the health issues of the baby will be.
Depending on the gestational age, premature deliveries are categorized as:
Preterm delivery can be-
Surveys done by the WHO (World Health Organization) estimate that every year, 15 million infants are delivered prematurely. One million babies die due to the complications raised as a consequence of premature delivery. In a study conducted worldwide, various health issues happen because of the preterm birth, and they are a leading cause of death to occur among the children aged under five. (Source)
In India, annually, 35 lakh babies are born preterm, and out of this 3.03 lakh, babies die as a result of a complication of preterm birth. An alarming fact is that, in spite of the development in the medical field, and increased knowledge about a healthy lifestyle among pregnant women, the rate of preterm delivery is increasing. (Source)
Here are some significant signs of preterm delivery. Never pause to seek medical care if any of the following symptoms appear before the 37th week of pregnancy:
More often, a particular reason for premature delivery is hard to trace. Only 50% of the preterm deliveries are accountable for known risk factors. Obviously, without knowing the proper causes, prevention of all preterm deliveries is difficult. Nevertheless, there are various factors, which may build the danger of preterm delivery. If some of the following factors are applicable to you, you will be more prone to premature delivery.
Even though you possess risk factors of premature delivery, you necessarily don’t have to undergo one. With good pregnancy care and correct medical care, you can still bring your chance down.
By going through the risk factors mentioned above, you may get an idea that many of them are not in your control. Anyone can (anytime) undergo a premature delivery. However, definitely some of them can be rectified by taking some healthy measures, thereby, decreasing your risk of undergoing premature delivery, like:
The primary goal of the treatment of preterm labor is to delay the delivery as long as possible. The more the baby remains in the uterus, the more the chances of the baby to survive to lessen the risk of its health. Delaying the delivery also helps to transfer the mother to a hospital offering facility like NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for caring premature babies. The treatment involves:
Two screening tests might be helpful in foreseeing whether you are in danger of preterm birth. However, it is not tested routinely for all pregnant women. Both tests are suggested for those who pose a higher risk of premature delivery because positive test outcomes are not an exact indicator of early delivery, and a negative result can ease the anxiety of the expecting mother.
By performing these tests, more likely, your doctor will get chances to delay (if possible) the delivery as much as possible.
Premature newborns(preemies) will be kept in the NICU. The duration of the baby in the NICU depends on how early the delivery was and the severity of the complications. Premature babies more often have immature lungs. This develops complications such as:
Read more on premature babies and how to take care of them in our section.
Come on, sell the idea of signing up with us in two lines so well that they HAVE to sign up.
Get regular updates, great recommendations and other right stuff at the right time.