In Australia around 16,000 babies are born preterm each year
(6-7percent of births). Preterm birth is defined as birth
occurring before 37 weeks of pregnancy or more than three weeks
early. It is divided up into mildly preterm (32-37 weeks),
moderately preterm (28-31 weeks) and extremely preterm (before
28 weeks). Disappointingly the rate of preterm birth has not
really changed in over 20 years and there are concerns that it
is in fact on the rise in Australia. It is not easy to predict
who will go into premature labour and who will not. While there
are some factors that add risk, there are many women that have
none of these risk factors and still go into preterm labour. The
actual cause of preterm labour is still largely unknown. Around
25-40 percent of preterm births are what we call ‘elective.’
This means they are induced, or delivered by caesarean section
early due to an illness in the mother, baby or both. Some common
reasons for elective preterm birth are: severe high blood
pressure in the mother, poor