Premature babies

Some babies arrive earlier than expected. If they're born before 37 weeks they are said to be premature or preterm. The earlier a baby is born, the more likely they are to have health issues.

If your baby is born before 37 weeks you may both be cared for in the maternity ward for a few days, or your baby may need specialist care in a neonatal unit.

Some specialist care is only available in certain neonatal units. You can find out more about neonatal care here.

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If you think you may be going into premature labour or you’re bleeding you should contact your hospital maternity triage department immediately.

Early labour can feel very different from labour at full term, so if you have any worries you should be seen by a midwife or obstetrician.

You can find out more about preterm labour on the NHS Inform Ready Steady Baby website.

What causes premature birth?

It isn’t always possible to know why some babies are born early but we do know that there is a higher chance of this happening when:

your waters break early (this is known as a ‘preterm rupture of membranes’ and is the most common cause)
you get an infection, such as a urine infection or diarrhoea and vomiting
you’re having twins, triplets or more
there's a weakness in your cervix
you’ve a health condition such as pre-eclampsia.

Although many babies will come when they come, it can help reduce the chance of that happening if you maintain as healthy a lifestyle as you can. You can find out more about looking after yourself and your baby on the Ready Steady Baby website.

Why do premature babies need specialist help?

Many babies who are born early need some extra support in those early days. This will range from things like help with feeding and keeping warm for those born just a little bit early, to more specialist care for those born a few weeks early.

They may not be quite ready, and may have issues with things like breathing, keeping warm and fighting off infections.

This can be scary and stressful but remember that your neonatal team understand how hard this is for you and your family and will do everything to take care of your baby, you and your partner.

You can find out more about premature birth on the Ready Steady Baby website.