Premature newborn

[Little_Girl]

A premature newborn is a baby delivered before 37 weeks of gestation. Depending on when they are born, premature newborns have underdeveloped organs, which may not be ready to function outside of the uterus.

A previous premature birth, multiple births, poor nutrition during pregnancy, late prenatal care, infections, assisted reproductive techniques (such as in vitro fertilization), and high blood pressure can increase the risk of a premature birth.
Because many organs are underdeveloped, premature newborns may have difficulty breathing and feeding and are prone to bleeding in the brain, infections, and other problems.
The earliest and smallest premature newborns are at far greater risk of having problems, including developmental problems.
Although some premature newborns grow up with permanent problems, the majority of survivors are normal.
Early prenatal care may decrease the risk of a premature birth.
Premature birth can sometimes be delayed for a brief period by giving the mother drugs to slow or stop contractions.
When an infant is expected to be delivered significantly early, doctors can give the mother injections of a corticosteroid to speed the development of the fetus’s lungs and help prevent bleeding in the brain (intraventricular hemorrhage).

(See also Overview of General Problems in Newborns.)
Gestational age refers to how far along the fetus is. The gestational age is the number of weeks between the first day of the mother