Premature birth: symptoms, causes and consequences of preterm births
Premature birth occurs before the completion of the 37th week of gestation, that is, before the 259th day from the start date of the last menstrual cycle. Premature birth, also called preterm birth, often does not involve complications or problems for the baby or mother, but sometimes there are consequences for the baby's health. Problems usually arise for babies with a gestational age of 32 weeks or less or with a birth weight of 1.5 pounds or less. But what are the causes of premature birth? Are there any particular symptoms that can make it predict? Here you can find all the answers to your questions.
Symptoms of premature birth
A premature birth can be recognized by several symptoms. If the time has not yet come, but the mother notices one of the following phenomena, she may be in the situation of having a preterm birth:
- abdomen
See also
The pains of childbirth: the video that tells how to deal with them
How to cope with the pains of childbirth? In this video, Nanny Simona talks about the main methods to reduce pain, from drug solutions to mom's personal choices. Even if in the case of premature birth the choices of the mother are reduced, it is important to know the various techniques to reduce the pain of childbirth.
Premature birth: the main causes
Premature birth has several possible causes, which are both social and physiological. Many experts argue, thanks also to the numbers of researches, that premature birth can depend on socio-economic causes, such as poverty, malnutrition, poor hygiene conditions, any heavy labor of the mother. Then there are the purely medical and physical reasons, among which the main ones are:
- age of the mother (who is under 17 or over 40)
- height or weight of the mother outside the normal range
- previous negative experiences: placenta previa, abnormal egg nesting, placental abruption, rupture of membranes
It should be added that a single cause is rarely enough to have a premature birth. Often the causes of a premature birth are early labor, with premature rupture of the water, a rupture of the membranes or even medical interventions to ensure the health of the mother or baby. As pointed out, then, in some cases, such as twin births, premature birth is much more frequent.
The risks for mother and baby
Premature birth carries risks for both mother and baby. As for the mother, the main factors concern her health, namely a possible aggravation of the causes of preterm birth itself: difficult to manage hypertension, anemia, diabetes, cardio-respiratory insufficiency, trauma and uro-gynecological infections. The risks to the child obviously relate to failure to complete his physical training, ranging from simple growth delays to cerebral palsy. The greatest risks are for babies born under 32 weeks, or who weigh less than 1500 grams. The good news is that the mortality of premature babies has dropped, meaning many of them are able to survive more than in the past. The survival of the newborn arrived at the 32nd week can be considered equal to that of the child at term, while the mortality rates are lowered also for babies born at the 22nd week.
The consequences of premature birth
Premature birth brings with it consequences that are of various kinds, from those that can be resolved to the serious ones. The mother also suffers psychological consequences: the initial sense of dismay could also be followed by a difficulty in accepting the situation, leading to postpartum depression in some cases. In these cases, support must be guaranteed to the mother and also to the father. serious and professional psychological. Knowing the world of intensive care and actively participating in care are two fundamental aspects that help parents establish a relationship with the child. The most significant measure was to allow the presence of parents next to their child 24 hours on 24. The opening of the wards is also supported by specific listening, sharing and comfort programs developed by the entire medical and nursing staff.
Can premature birth be predicted or avoided?
By keeping an eye on the various possible causes and threats of premature birth, one can somehow predict. Above all, doctors try to contain the phenomenon where it is possible, with continuous monitoring of pregnancies at risk of preterm birth, even if it is not always possible to predict it. The higher percentage of premature births is due to an anticipation of the rupture of the waters, of the membranes, and therefore of labor, and very little can be done in that sense. However, doctors recommend some measures to prevent certain causes, such as reducing the movements of mothers at risk, avoiding hard work, various sources of stress and in some cases suggesting drug therapies to contain uterine contractions. In some cases, cervical cerclage, or the recommendation of absolute bed rest, 24 hours a day, can also prevent premature birth.
