Premature Babies..

Premature labour is probably one of a mother-to-be's greatest fears. The slightest twinge will have you holding your breath to see if another one follows, and the picture that flashes into your mind is of a tiny baby in an incubator fighting for his life.

Around 7% of babies are born prematurely - that is before 37 weeks. The good news is developments in neonatal care mean that 9 out of 10 will develop normally.

Reasons

1. The high rate of teenage pregnancies. Whilst it would be logical for a young healthy teenager to have the best chance of going the full term and producing a healthy baby, in reality teenagers are more likely to have a poor diet, smoke, and receive poor antenatal care.

2. Many women are starting families later which can result in problems. The use of IVF treatment is increasing - this can result in multiple births which often are premature.

3. Doctors may induce labour if the mother is suffering from pre-eclampsia which can threaten the life of the mother-to-be, or if your baby is not developing properly.

4. About a third of premature births occur for no discernable reason.

Premature Labour
If you go into premature labour before 35 weeks and neither you nor the baby are in any danger, your doctor will probably try to stop the contractions by giving you drugs. This is often successful in delaying the birth.

Early Birth
If your baby is born before 37 weeks, he will be taken to the Special Care Baby Unit. The treatment he will receive there will depend on how early he is: he will probably be placed in an incubator where he will be nice and warm; if he has difficulty breathing he will be placed on a ventilator; his blood will be checked to see if his organs are functioning properly; he will be fed through tubes; and he may be given an ultrasound scan to check for internal bleeding, especially in the brain. It will feel heart-breaking for you to see him in that condition, but it is for his own good and neonatal care is very very good.

If he's in the Special Care Baby Unit for some time it will be difficult to bond. However, it should be possible to have contact with him even if he is in an incubator, even taking him out for short periods. Studies reveal that premature babies given 'kangaroo care' - held against your bare chest so that baby can hear your heartbeat - have a higher survival rate.

Taking Him Home
When he is well enough you will be allowed to take your baby home and you can now give him all the attention and cuddles that were so difficult in the hospital. He will still be delicate for a while and may be more prone to pick up infections, but remember that the hospital would not have let him come home if he wasn't well enough.