Preterm birth and very low birthweight: Do hospitals that treat more preterm babies provide them with better care?
Preterm babies seem to be more likely to survive if they are cared for in large neonatal units, but it is not clear why. Preterm birth is fairly common. In Germany, around 7 out of every 100 pregnancies end before term (7%), and about 1 out of every 100 newborn babies weighs less than 1,500 g at birth (1%). The number of babies with a very low birthweight has almost doubled in the last 10 years. There are several reasons for this. More women are having children at an older age and more women are becoming pregnant through artificial reproductive techniques, like IVF. These factors, and multiple pregnancies, increase the risk of preterm birth. The earlier a baby is born, the smaller and less developed he or she will be. Preterm babies are usually not yet ready for life outside of the uterus (womb). Newborns normally weigh 2,500 g or more at birth. Depending on their birthweight, preterm babies are divided into three groups: • Newborns with extremely low birthweight (less than 1,000 g) •
