Chorioamnionitits is an infection in the fluid and membranes surrounding the baby in utero. Intrauterine infection is associated with significant white and grey matter brain injury in newborns and is particularly important in the pathogenesis of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and cerebral palsy (CP). CP has been shown to be 4-9 times higher in babies exposed to intrauterine infection than in normal infants. Antibiotics have not changed the risk for brain injury in the newborn.