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Pregnancy is an engineering challenge − diagnosing and treating preterm birth requires understanding its mechanics

Why are babies born prematurely? Researchers still don’t really know. Obstetricians are very good at managing the process of birth. But when it comes to predicting whether a baby will be born in a timely manner, the science is still catching up. Research on the causes of preterm birth is decades behind that of other conditions such as cancer. That means nurses, doctors, midwives and doulas don’t have the tools and resources they need to do the best job possible when babies are born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. One of the few known risk factors of preterm birth is whether a pregnant person has previously given birth to a preterm baby. Others include being pregnant with twins, triplets or more,…

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 Mothers in their 30s have a lower risk of premature birth than any other age group

Women between 30 and 34 had the lowest risk for a preterm delivery, at 5.7%. But another way to look at it is to break the groups down further into decades: overall, women in their 30s have a lower risk of giving birth prematurely than women in their 20s.

 You Can Do Everything 'Right' and Still Have a Preterm Birth

Infant health mirrors maternal health. The irony of fighting over fetal personhood without dismantling the environmental, economic, and racist structures that harm pregnant people – and their fetuses – has never felt more apparent than when I peer through incubator tops at newly born preemies, with their translucent skin, their life-sustaining tubes, their machine-assisted breaths.

Articles of Interest

A Mother’s Zip Code Could Signal Whether Her Baby Will Be Born Too Early

Every year, more than 400,000 women in America have babies who are preterm, low birthweight, or who die before their first birthday.

A New Study Says if You Were a Premature Baby You're More Likely to Be a Poor Adult

According to a depressing new study out of McMaster University in Canada, being poor or unlucky in love may be tied to whether or not you were a premature baby.

After Years of Decline, Premature Births Rose in the U.S.

The reason behind the rise isn’t clear, but experts say maternal health may offer some clues.

Baby Gap

Throwing money at unproven programs for preventing prematurity, or at cash-cow NICUs, won't improve America's infant-morality rate. Instead, it's critical to follow the data—which suggest that we need fewer, not more, hospitals to take care of the sickest babies.

Baby Week: My Little Preemies

I didn't expect anything other than a healthy full term baby. I thought I'd have huge babies, just as my mother did, and I'd have to argue with the hospital staff about not trying to push pain medication on me as I labored for the twentieth straight hour. Ha! As it turns out, my membranes ruptured early with both my children.

Black and Hispanic women in the US are having more premature babies

More babies in the US are being born prematurely—a trend that’s linked to the state of racial inequality in America today.

Blood Test Could Predict Premature Birth Risk, Due Date

A teaspoon of a pregnant woman’s blood would be required for this experimental tool.

Does Fossil Fuel Use Affect Premature Births?

A new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology by Dr. Joan Casey in the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley and fellow researchers, indicates that coal and oil power plant retirements in California were associated with reductions in premature births.

Early births – between 34 and 37 weeks – for moms with pre‑eclampsia can reduce baby and mother deaths

Deciding when to offer birth requires careful balancing of risks and benefits. Early preterm delivery (before 34 weeks’ gestation) is only recommended if severe complications of pre-eclampsia have developed, where the benefit of delivery outweighs the risk of potential complications of early preterm birth for the baby (for example, breathing or feeding difficulties). For the period between 34 and 37 weeks, there has not been enough research to guide women and clinicians as to whether it is better to routinely offer late preterm birth to all women with pre-eclampsia, or to watch and wait until either 37 weeks’ gestation is reached, or complications develop.

Extremely Premature Babies Still at Risk of Health Issues As Youngsters

Despite innovative techniques to keep premature babies healthy, death rates and lingering health problems among extremely preterm babies remained unchanged for decades.

For Babies, Preterm Birth Is Now The No. 1 Cause Of Death

Babies around the world face a lot of risks to their health: pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, to name a few. But it turns out that no single infectious disease takes a greater toll than the simple fact of being born premature.

New research finds a strong link between air pollution and babies born prematurely

In a far-ranging study analyzing data from 183 countries, researchers have pointed to a strong link between air pollution and preterm babies, estimating that one in five babies are born prematurely because of their mothers’ exposure during pregnancy to high levels of PM2.5, fine particulate matter that can reach deep into the respiratory tract.

Premature birth - information and support

There are numerous causes of premature birth and the effects, treatment and reasons for prematurity are extensively studied. Knowing the stages of growth and development after a preterm baby is born and how to care for your baby is essential to give the best chance of survival. If you have been told you are at risk of having a premature baby, or if you have already had a premature baby, you are likely to have lots of questions about preterm birth.

Preterm babies: From survival to a vision of lifelong health

The last 40 years have seen major advances in neonatal care – what could only be dreamed of in the 1970s is now routine, which has resulted in a dramatic increase in the survival rate for premature babies. There are now as many as 100,000 under the age of 18 in Sweden who were born prematurely. Now, the big question is: What happens next?

Preterm Birth: An Overview

Birth order has a significant impact on perinatal and long-term outcomes. Preterm birth rates, ranging from 5% to 18%, are regrettably still high in industrialized and developing countries, making them the main contributor to infant mortality and morbidity. Infection, cervical pathology, uterine overdistension, progesterone deficiency, stress on the mother and fetus, allograft reaction, allergic phenomena, and likely more unknown factors are just a few of the causes of preterm birth syndrome.

Preterm Births, The Top Cause Of Infant Death In The U.S., Are Rising

The increased rate isn’t equal across all races and ethnicities: Rates were nearly 48 percent higher among black women and more than 15 percent higher among American Indian/Alaska Native women compared to white women, March of Dimes said in a press release.

Research into premature birth

Around 60,000 babies are born prematurely each year in the UK (Born too soon, The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth, WHO 2012)and many suffer lifelong consequences as a result. This is one of the highest rates in Europe and it's still rising, yet there is currently no accurate screening test available to identify women at risk. Tommy's believes creating a test must be an absolute priority and much of our current research is devoted to this.

Saving Babies' Lives by Carrying Them Like Kangaroos

Skin-to-skin contact sustains premature babies where incubators are limited. It may even be the best form of neonatal care, period.

The Problem With What Doctors Call Preterm Labor

"The challenge ahead," Romero continued, "is to figure out which is the mechanism operating in each patient. We need to identify early biomarkers before women present with preterm labor."

The Trauma of Having a Newborn in the NICU

After premature births, parents can suffer from PTSD. Peer networks are forming to help.

What Parents Can Do to Help Preemies

Hospitals are enlisting moms and dads to work full-time with their premature babies in the NICU.

What You Can Do to Prevent Premature Birth

If you’re already pregnant – or planning to get pregnant – you can your boost your chances of having a full-term pregnancy and healthy baby by taking these steps...

What’s behind preterm birth? Scientists just found a big clue

Babies are born on a seemingly unpredictable timeline, with a normal pregnancy ranging from 38 to 42 weeks. And 10 percent of all births are preterm, meaning they occur before 37 weeks of gestation, which puts babies at risk of a host of complications. Now, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered a molecular timer in mice that plays a role in controlling when they give birth. Surprisingly, the timer is activated in the very first days of pregnancy and operates within the uterus.

Why doctors are so bad at predicting pregnancy due dates

Only 4 percent of women give birth on their due date. These researchers want to fix that.

Resources

Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth

GAPPS' mission is to lead a collaborative, global effort to increase awareness and accelerate innovative research and interventions that will improve maternal, newborn and child health outcomes.

Hand to Hold

Hand to Hold® is dedicated to providing early intervention mental health support before, during, and after a NICU stay, ensuring that all NICU families thrive.

MicroPreemies.com

A place of support for parents of Micro Preemies.

Miracle Babies Foundation

Since 2005, Miracle Babies Foundation has been passionate in developing and providing vital programs and resources to support and enhance a family’s experience from a threatened pregnancy, hospital journey with a premature or sick newborn, the transition to home and beyond.

Prematurity Awareness Month

Learn more about premature birth, risk factors, and what you can do.

Micro Mom Blog

Kaitlyn spent 127 days in the NICU. I chronicle the life of my miracle Micro Preemie daughter. See August Archives 2005 to read the 1st post.

Patient

Infants born as a result of premature labour suffer significant morbidity as a result of immaturity. Accurate diagnosis of preterm labour can allow for the prevention or delay of preterm birth where possible and, where this is not possible, earlier provision can be made to provide optimal support for the immature infant.