Celebrating World Prematurity Day
Tuesday, November 17 was celebrated as World Prematurity Day, a day set aside each year to put the spotlight on over the 15 million babies born prematurely.
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More than one in 10 babies are born prematurely. This means on World Prematurity Day 2015, more than 41,000 premature babies will be born.
Many of them will grow up healthy, from good care received immediately after birth and in the days, weeks, and months that follow.
They will be kept warm during their first hours, breastfed and protected against infection; and they will be immunised against vaccine-preventable diseases. They will be on their way to leading healthy, happy lives.
Premature birth is a birth that is at least three weeks before a baby's due date. It is also known as preterm birth (or less than 37 weeks — full term is 40 weeks). Prematurity is the leading cause of death among newborn babies.
Being born premature is also a serious health risk for a baby. Some babies will require special care and spend weeks or months hospitalised in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The more preterm a baby is, the more severe his or her health problems are likely to be.
Even babies born just a few weeks early can have more health problems than full-term babies. For example, a baby born at 32 weeks is more likely to develop jaundice, problems with breathing and longer hospital stays.
The extreme premature ones who require ventilatory support may develop severer complications such as intellectual disabilities, vision and hearing problems and cerebral palsy.
Sometimes it becomes important to deliver a baby early because of concerns for the health of the mother or the baby. This is done irrespective of the problems associated with a premature birth.
However, in most cases preterm labour begins unexpectedly. The warning signs of premature labour are — Contractions every 10 minutes or more often accompanied by;
Change in vaginal discharge (leaking fluid or bleeding)
Pelvic pressure—the feeling that the baby is pushing down
Low, dull backache
Cramps that feel like
Abdominal cramps with or without diarrhoea.
The exact cause of preterm birth is unsolved. In fact, the cause of 50 per cent of preterm births is never determined.
There are some known risk factors for premature birth. But even if a woman does everything "right" during pregnancy, she still can have a premature baby.
A number of factors have been identified that are linked to a higher risk of a preterm birth: Age at the upper and lower end of the reproductive years, be it more than 35 or less than 18 years of age.
Further, in the US and the UK, Afro-American and Afro-Caribbean women have preterm birth rates more than double that of the white population, suggesting that race is a factor.
Pregnancy interval makes a difference as women with a 6-month span or less between pregnancies have a two-fold increase in preterm birth.
Studies on type of work and physical activity have been inconclusive, but it is suggested that stressful conditions, hard labour and long working hours are probably linked to preterm birth.
Women who have undergone previous surgically induced abortions called dilatation and curettage (D&C) have been shown to have a higher risk of preterm birth. Adequate maternal nutrition is important.
Women with a low body mass index and those with poor nutrition are at increased risk for preterm birth. Women with a previous preterm birth are at higher risk for a recurrence at a rate of 15–50 per cent depending on number of previous events and their timing.
Marital status is associated with risk for preterm birth. A study conducted in Finland revealed that unmarried mothers had more preterm deliveries than married mothers.
Multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets, etc.) are a significant factor in preterm birth. A mother’s medical condition such as high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, diabetes and heart disease all increase the risk of preterm birth.
Some women have a weak or short cervix from a surgical procedure or by their nature and that is the strongest predictor of premature delivery.
In women with abnormalities of the womb, the capacity of the womb to hold the growing pregnancy may be limited and preterm labour ensues.
Other problems in pregnancy that may precipitate premature labour are vaginal bleeding, abnormal amount of water around the foetus, and use of illicit drugs such as alcohol, cigarette and cocaine.
Premature infants’ organs are not fully developed. The infant needs special care in a nursery until the organ systems have developed enough to sustain life without medical support. This may take weeks to months.
A premature infant will have a lower birth weight than a full-term infant. Common physical signs of prematurity include:
Body hair
Abnormal breathing patterns
Enlarged clitoris
Problems breathing due to immature lungs or pneumonia
Lower muscle tone and less activity than full-term infants
Problems with feeding due to difficulty sucking or coordinating swallowing and breathing
Less body fat
Small scrotum, smooth without ridges, and undescended testicles (male infant)
Soft, flexible ear cartilage
Thin, smooth, shiny skin, which is often transparent.
