Preterm Labor/Birth

Other Names

• Preterm Birth• Preterm Labor• Premature Birth• Premature Labor• Preemies• Low Birth Weight (LBW) babies

High Risk

• Previous Preterm Birth• Carrying more than one baby• Stress, being abused (physically and mentally)• Smoke cigarettes• Use illegal drugs• Younger than 17, older than 35• Vaginal or Urinary Tract Infection

Risk Factors

• Abdominal surgery during pregnancy and/or cervical cerclage (a stitch in your cervix)

• More than two second trimester miscarriages or elective abortions

• Dehydration• DES (Diethylstilbestrol) daughter• Serious infections with fever (greater than 101

degrees Fahrenheit) during this pregnancy• Recurring bladder and/or kidney infections

Signs of Preterm Labor

• Menstrual-like cramps• Contractions coming every 10 minutes, or more

often• Low, dull backache• Pelvic pressure or feel like the baby is pushing down• Change in vaginal discharge or bleeding• Abdominal cramps

What to do?• Call your health care provider (nurse, doctor or midwife) or go to the

hospital right away if you think you're having preterm labor, or if you have any of the warning signs. Call even if you have only one sign.

Your health care provider may tell you to:

• Come into the office or go to the hospital for a checkup. • Stop what you're doing. Rest on your left side for one hour. • Drink 2-3 glasses of water or juice (not coffee or soda).• If the symptoms get worse or do not go away after one hour, call your

provider again or go to the hospital. If the symptoms get better, relax for the rest of the day.

Test

• Cervical length. The length of a woman's cervix is measured using vaginal ultrasound. Women with a shorter-than-average cervix and those whose cervix shortens on subsequent exams are at increased risk of premature delivery. This test is fairly accurate in determining which women are at lower risk of premature delivery.

Medical complicationsin baby

• Respiratory Distress syndrome• Apnea• Intraventricular hemorrhage• Jaundice• Anemia• Chronic lung disease• Infections

Survival Rates

• 21 weeks or less: 0%• 22 weeks: 0 to 10%• 23 weeks: 10 to 35%• 24 weeks: 40 to 70%• 25 weeks: 50 to 80%• 26 weeks: 80 to 90%• 27 weeks: greater than 90%

Survival Story• MIRACLE BABY• IrishLinds - 05:31pm Apr 19, 2010 EST

My name is Lindsay and I was a preemie. I was born 6 weeks early. The doctors told my parents that my chances of survival were very slim. They were told that if I did survive, I would probably never be able to play sports, I would be short for my age, and that I would have learning disabilities.

Today, I'm 27 years old. I'm 5'7, which for a female is considered on the tall side. I've been playing competitive sports since I was 5. In 2005, I graduated from University of South Florida with a degree in Communications. I currently work as a defense contractor for a company that develops courseware and training materials for the U.S. Military.

I wanted to tell my story to give other parents hope. Doctors can be wrong. Your child can grow up to live a happy and healthy life. Don't ever give up hope on preemies. My parents nicknamed me their miracle baby due to having all odds against me at the start of my life. Being a preemie doesn't have to decide your life. Only God can

Non-survival Story• MY LOST SON.• dailyamos - 06:15pm Apr 9, 2010 EST

It has been nine days, one hour and nine minutes since I lost my son George at 29 weeks. We had known that we were most likely going to lose him since I was 24 weeks. For some unknown reason he had a rapid heart rate that caused him to go into heart failure. We tried for four weeks to get cardiac medicine to him through me, which included a two week stint in the hospital, an intracardiac injection, and two weeks basically confined to my bedroom at home.

Nothing the doctors tried worked. He had so much fluid accumulation, called hydrops, in his little body from the heart failure that all of our doctors were in agreement that he was so sick that if he went to the NICU he wouldn't survive. If on the slight chance he did survive he would have severe neurological deficits for the rest of his life.

Because I had atypical preeclampsia, at 29 weeks we had to do an emergency c-section. He only lived for a few minutes but my husband and I were able to hold him before he died.

Now I am living in a reality that was not supposed to be, like a shadow of the life that my husband and I had planned for so long. My world is colored in shades of what things would be like had life turned out differently. I miss him so much and I wonder if I will ever feel hopeful again.

Stages

One Month Two MonthsYour baby is an embryo consisting of two layers of cells from which all her organs and

body parts will develop.

Your baby is now about the size of a kidney bean and is constantly moving. He has distinct, slightly webbed fingers.

Three Months Four Months

By now your baby is about 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce. Her tiny, unique fingerprints are now in place.

Your baby is now about 5 inches long and weighs 5 ounces. His skeleton is starting to harden from rubbery cartilage to bone.

Five Months Six Months

Eyebrows and eyelids are now in place. Your baby would now be more than 10 inches long if you stretched out her legs.

Your baby weighs about a pound and a half. His wrinkled skin is starting to smooth out as he puts on baby fat.

Seven Months Eight Months

By now, your baby weighs about 3 pounds and is more than 15 inches long. She can open and close her eyes and follow a light.

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds. His layers of fat are filling him out, making him rounder, and his lungs are well developed.

Nine months

The average baby is more than 19 inches long and weighs nearly 7 pounds now, but babies vary widely in size at this stage

To Realize the Value of one month, ask a

mother who had a premature baby

Karen Moy

• http://www.babies.sutterhealth.org/during/preg_prematurelabor.html#

• http://www.shareyourstory.org/webx/.ef6ba61

• http://www.shareyourstory.org/webx/.ef6ba61

• http://www.babycenter.com/100_fetal-development_5214615.bc