Premies or preemies are the term used for babies that are born before 37 weeks of gestation. There are a number of reasons why babies may be born prematurely. Hypertension, heart or kidney problems, diabetes, an infection in the vaginal or urinary tracts, or stress are just a few of a host of reasons that lead to the statistic that approximately one out of every 10 babies will be born before their mothers can carry them to term.
Premature Labour 101
Most, approximately 90% of expecting mothers, will carry their babies to term. “To term” means 37 weeks of pregnancy onwards. Around 10% of women may go into labour before 37 weeks. This is called premature labour or preterm labour, and it is aptly defined as when your body gets ready to give birth to early or goes into labour more than three weeks before your due date.
