Giving Birth Early (Pre-Term Birth): Lowering Your Risk

Pre-term birth is when a baby is born before 37 full weeks of pregnancy. Pre-term birth can increase the risk of problems for the baby.

How can pre-term birth affect my baby?

A baby born too early may have problems with:

• Breathing.
• Seeing.
• Hearing.
• Eating.
• Infection.
• Low birth weight.

Pre-term birth can also cause problems when the baby is older. Some of these are:

• Cerebral palsy. This causes problems with movement and coordination.
• Developmental delays.
• Learning difficulties.
• Higher risk for:
  • Diabetes.
  • Heart disease.
  • High blood pressure.

What can increase my risk of having a pre-term birth?

Medical History

• The cause of pre-term birth is not known. You're more likely to have a pre-term birth if:
  • The placenta is growing near or over the cervix.
  • You have had a pre-term birth before.
  • You're pregnant with more than one baby.
  • Your unborn baby has certain conditions.
  • You have bleeding from your vagina.
  • You're overweight or underweight.
• Some conditions can increase the risk of pre-term birth. Some of these are:
  • Problems of the uterus or cervix.
  • Infections.
  • Blood clotting problems.
  • Diabetes.
  • Kidney disease.
  • High blood pressure.
• In vitro fertilization (IVF) was used to get pregnant.

Lifestyle and environmental factors

• Using alcohol, tobacco products, or drugs.
• Having stress and no social support.
• Violence in the home.
• Being exposed to certain chemicals at home or work.

What actions can I take to prevent preterm birth?

Get medical care

• See a health care provider in the first 13 weeks of your pregnancy.
• Go to the dentist regularly.
• If you have a high risk of pre-term birth:
  • You may be seen by a provider for high-risk pregnancies.
  • You may be given medicine to help stop pre-term birth.

Keep all follow-up visits. Your provider will need to check your health and the health of your baby.

Lifestyle

Some life changes can also make your risk of pre-term birth less:

• Wait at least 6 months after birth to get pregnant again.
• Get to a healthy weight before you get pregnant. Ask your provider if you need help with this.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Manage health problems, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
• Do not smoke, vape, or use nicotine or tobacco.
• Do not drink alcohol or use drugs.

Where to find more information

To learn more, go to these websites:

• March of Dimes: marchofdimes.org
• American Pregnancy Association: americanpregnancy.org
• American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG): acog.org
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at CDC.gov. Then:
  • Click Health Topics A-Z.
  • Type "preterm birth" in the search box.

Contact a health care provider if:

You have any of these signs of pre-term labor before 37 weeks:

• A change or increase in vaginal discharge.
• Fluid leaking from your vagina.
• Pressure in your lower belly, including a feeling that the baby is pushing down.
• Back pain that does not go away or gets worse.
• Regular tightening in your lower belly. This are called contractions..
• Cramps in your belly with or without diarrhea, which is watery poop.

Get help right away if:

• You're having regular painful contractions every 5 minutes or less.
• Your water breaks.