What is premature labour?
At full term, a baby is born at least 37 weeks after the date of the mothers’ last period and a baby is considered to be premature when born before the end of week 37. The incidence of premature birth in the UK is currently around 7% (about 45,000 babies every year), and rising. Because premature babies have had less time in the womb to fully develop and mature, they need more intensive care after birth and there is a higher risk of medical complications: the earlier a premature baby is delivered, the more serious the health problems he or she faces are likely to be. Thanks to the medical advances of recent decades even babies born as early as 24 weeks stand a chance of survival, though babies born this early are at high risk of long-term health problems. After this, the outlook for a baby improves with every day spent in the womb and by 32 weeks’ gestation, the health implications of prematurity are likely to be short-term and by 36 weeks, a premature baby may need help breathing init