What is premature (preterm) birth?

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What is premature (preterm) birth?

How common is premature birth?

What are the symptoms of premature birth?

What are the causes of premature birth?

Is there treatment to prevent premature labour and birth?

Is there treatment to delay delivery once labour has started?

Do all premature labours start on their own?

What is premature labour like?

How can premature birth affect my baby?

What is premature (preterm) birth?

Premature birth, also called preterm birth, is when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. There are different categories of prematurity:

• extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks)
• very preterm (28 to 32 weeks)
• moderate to late preterm (32 weeks to 36 weeks and 6 days).

Premature birth may happen spontaneously, which means that a premature labour started on its own, naturally. Sometimes a premature birth may need to be planned because it’s the safest thing to do for your health or your baby’s health.

How common is premature birth?

About 8 babies out of every 100 in the UK are born prematurely (before the 37th week of pregnancy).

What are the symptoms of premature birth?

The following symptoms before 37 weeks of pregnancy could be signs that you may be going into premature labour:

• regular contractions
• abdominal cramping or pain
• pressure in the vaginal area
• a "show" – when the plug of mucus that has sealed the cervix during pregnancy comes away and out of the vagina
• a gush or trickle of fluid from your vagina – this could be your waters breaking
• bleeding from the vagina
• backache that's not usual for you.

Read more about the signs of premature labour.

What are the causes of premature birth?

Often doctors don’t know why someone goes into premature labour. But we do know that there are some things that increase the risk of preterm birth. These include:

• infection
• being pregnant with more than one baby  
• a weak cervix
• having had surgery to your cervix, such as removing abnormal cells after cervical screening
• previous premature birth
• previous emergency c-section
• being overweight or underweight
• smoking
• drinking alcohol
• recreational drug use.

Read more about the causes of premature birth.

If you are at risk of premature birth, your doctor and midwife will monitor you closely. Read more about what happens if you are told you are at risk of a premature birth and about some things you could do to reduce your risk of premature birth.  

Researchers at Tommy’s National Centre for Preterm Birth Research are working to find out more about the causes of premature birth and how to prevent it. 

Is there treatment to prevent premature labour and birth?

You may be offered treatment which may help prevent early labour if:

• you've given birth at less than 34 weeks pregnant before
• you've had a miscarriage after 16 weeks pregnant before
• your waters have broken before 37 weeks in previous pregnancies
• your cervix has been injured in the past, for example through surgery
• your cervix is shorter than expected (measured with a vaginal ultrasound scan). 

Your treatment may depend on why you are at risk of premature birth and your previous pregnancy history. Being told you are at risk of premature birth can be very worrying, but there are some ways to try to prevent it, including putting a stitch into your cervix to help support it and a small tablet of the hormone progesterone that you put in your vagina.

Read about treatment to prevent a premature birth. 

Is there treatment to delay delivery once labour has started?

If you are in early premature labour, your healthcare team may offer you a medicine to try to slow down the labour or delay the birth.  

You may also be offered medicine to:

• prevent your baby getting an infection
• help protect your baby’s brain and nervous system
• help your baby’s lungs develop.

Your midwife or doctor will discuss possible treatments with you. They will consider:

• how many weeks pregnant you are
• whether it might be safest for your baby to be born without delay
• what neonatal care facilities are available
• your preferences.

Do all premature labours start on their own?

Most of the time, premature labour and birth happen spontaneously (naturally). 

In some cases, preterm birth is planned because it's safer for the baby to be born sooner rather than later. This could be because of a health condition you have (such as pre-eclampsia) or that your baby has (such as fetal growth restriction). If you are advised to give birth early, you may be offered an induction or c-section.

What is premature labour like?

If you go into preterm labour, giving birth may not be the experience you hoped for. But you should still be able to discuss your preferences for the birth with your midwife. Find out more about giving birth to your premature baby.

A premature birth may be difficult to cope with emotionally. Every parent hopes for a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy, labour and birth, so it can be very upsetting when this doesn’t happen.  

Don’t be afraid to tell your healthcare professional how you feel at any point during your pregnancy or after the birth. They won’t judge you. It is common for a parent’s mental health to be affected in pregnancy or after having a baby, and your healthcare professionals are aware of this.  

You can also talk to a Tommy’s midwife free of charge from 9am–5pm, Monday to Friday on 0800 0147 800 or email them at [email protected]. Tommy’s Midwives have a specialist Black and Black-Mixed Heritage Helpline too – you can book a call with them. 

How can premature birth affect my baby?

When a baby is born too soon, they may need special care because they are not quite ready for life outside the womb. The impacts on your baby's health will depend on how preterm they are born. Having a premature baby is a worrying time, but medical care for premature babies is better than it ever has been.

Babies born early may need special care in a neonatal unit, which has specialist facilities for premature babies. Your healthcare team will do all they can for you and your baby. Find out more about what happens after your baby is born.