Premature Birth

5 Pages 1351 Words

A baby is considered born prematurely if he/she is born more than 3 weeks before his/her due date. About 10% of babies will arrive early. One in eight women will give birth too early-before 37 weeks of pregnancy.
The one thing about premature babies is that they have had less time to fully develop and mature in the womb. Preemies are more often at an increased risk of medical and developmental problems and one of the biggest is underdeveloped lungs.
If you go into labor early, your doctor will try to delay your baby’s birth. The longer the baby stays in the womb it is giving your baby’s lungs a better chance of becoming more mature.
The outlook for premature infants has improved dramatically in recent years. Babies now born as early as 23 weeks now have a good survival chance because of the great advances that has been made for the care of premature infants.
We all know that it is best for a baby to stay in the womb for as long as possible to being full term, but being able to recognize the signs of premature labor may help you prevent your baby from being born too soon. The following signs and symptoms can occur as early as four months before you are due to delivery:
* regular contractions of your uterus
* light vaginal spotting or bleeding
* menstrual type or abdominal cramps
* low dull back pain
* watery discharge from your vagina, this may be amniotic fluid, if so then
it is a sign that the membranes around your baby have ruptured
* a feeling of pressure in your pelvis as if your baby is pressing down
If you at all suspect your in premature labor but yet you have not had a watery discharge, drink two or three glasses of water and then lie down on your left side. This will help improve the circulation to your uterus.
About half of the women who go into labor early do so for unkown reasons or you may also have a medical condition that will contribute to the onset of early labor. Some of...