How do we define a premature baby (preemie)

A premature birth is one which happens before 37 weeks. The chances of a premature baby surviving after a pregnancy of 25 weeks is extremely good. However this becomes better with expert care as soon as your baby is born and, if possible, even before the birth.

If your chances of delivering a premature baby are high, it's a good idea to make sure you've plenty of medical assistance on hand. A home birth is fine for a normal birth without complications, but the health of both yourself and your baby must override any personal preferences. Go to a hospital with all the facilities to help you at this time.

Are you at risk of having a premature baby?

Just be aware of these risk factors. Each one on it's own doesn't necessarily mean you'll deliver a premmie baby.

If you have previously had a preterm birth, this will increase the chances of it happening again.

Some health issues may increase the chances of a premature birth. For example diabetes or high blood pressure. Both these can be managed however. Any infections contracted during pregnancy should be dealt with straight away to prevent them spreading to the uterus.

Not following a good diet? While you don't have to 'eat for two', you should make sure your diet is nutritious. Poor nutrition may lead to a low birth weight baby.

Smoking. While smoking can cause a low birth weight baby, this is not the only health risk. Give up this habit during pregnancy. If you can't do it for yourself, please do it for your baby.

Not looking after yourself while you're pregnant. We've all heard about the mum who gave birth on the kitchen floor when she didn't realize she was pregnant. This doesn't happen very often, that's why it made the news! As you as you suspect you may be pregnant go and see you health carer and find all the information you can to take care of yourself during this exiting time.

Being an older mum. If you're over 35, this raises your risk of having a premature baby. If you've had trouble conceiving, the risk of prematurity is also higher.

If you're carrying more than one baby, this may increase the chance of an early delivery.

As you can see there's no single cause for prematurity. The best prevention is to care for yourself as best you can and take steps to prevent a premature birth. We'll concentrate on the natural ways

Natural ways to prevent a premature birth

The single best way to avoid prematurity or having a low birthweight baby, is to have sufficient omega-3 in your diet. This can be obtained by eating a diet high in fish, but as we've explained previously, a lot of fish nowadays contains high levels of mercury - a highly toxic metal.

A better alternative is to supplement with omega-3 (or fish oil) capsules. make sure the brand you select is guaranteed pure. Omega-3 has been shown to delay and prevent premature delivery in random trials. There are many other health benefits from taking fish oil, in fact there are so many reasons to take it, perhaps everybody on the planet should be using it. It may put some of the drug companies out of business. Oh dear me!

Avoid excessive stress and anxiety. Try not to get into too many stressful situations. Easier said than done? Use meditation, relaxation techniques or anything that will bring calm into your day.

If you do experience a premature birth, your baby will be looked after in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICO) until he is old enough to go home. This will ensure they are kept warm (essential for a premature baby) and monitored day and night.

Your breast milk will be the best food for your preemie at this time and will need to be pumped out as premature babies are unable to feed normally.

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