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.