Premature Babies (Print Version)

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Premature Babies

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/prematurebabies.html

Also called: Also called: Preemies

A premature baby, or preemie, is born before the 37th week of pregnancy. Premature birth occurs in between 8 percent to 10 percent of all pregnancies in the United States. Because they are born too early, preemies weigh much less than full-term babies. They may have health problems because their organs did not have enough time to develop. Preemies need special medical care in a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU. They stay there until their organ systems can work on their own.

Start Here

Preterm Labor and Birth(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Preterm_Labor_and_Birth.cfm
Primer on Preemies(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growing/preemies.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/crecimiento/preemies_esp.html

Overviews

JAMA Patient Page: Premature Infants(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/299/12/1500.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/299/12/1500/DC1/1
Prematurity: Learn the Facts(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21191.asp

Latest News

Hard Decisions for the Littlest Lives(10/01/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69942.html
Extremely Preemie Babies Prone to Behavior Woes Later On(09/02/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68814.html
Mom's Smoking During Pregnancy ups Preemie's SIDS Risk(08/29/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68715.html
More News on Premature Babies http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_p.html#prematurebabies

Nutrition

Is Breastfeeding Important for My Premature Baby?(La Leche League International) - http://www.llli.org//FAQ/premimportant.html
Parenting in the NICU: Feeding Your Baby(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21295_6091.asp
Also available in Spanish http://nacersano.org/prematuro/9324_9757.asp

Coping

Coping with the NICU Experience(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21292.asp

Specific Conditions

Apnea of Prematurity(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/medical_problems/aop.html
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Bpd/Bpd_WhatIs.html
Common Diagnoses in the NICU(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/ill/nicu_diagnoses.html
Low Birthweight(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1153.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9388_9915.asp
Necrotizing Enterocolitis(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/digestive/nec.html
Patent Ductus Arteriosus(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/pda/pda_what.html
Respiratory Distress Syndrome of the Newborn(American Lung Association) - http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=2060721&content_id={552A7003-4621-43E5-82B4-1678D9A6D963}¬oc=1
Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)(National Eye Institute) - http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/rop/
Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN)(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/lungs/ttn.html
Very Low Birthweight(Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) - http://www.chop.edu/consumer/your_child/condition_section_index.jsp?id=-8721

Related Issues

Babies in the NICU: Families and Friends(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21289.asp
Car Seats for Children with Special Needs - Premature Babies(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZ49JBFJ3D&sub_cat=26
Caring for Your Premature Baby(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/infants/283.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/children/parents/infants/283.printerview.html
Grief and Loss(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21281.asp
Kangaroo Care(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/infant_care/hic_kangaroo_care.aspx
Leaving the NICU(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21284.asp
Medical Equipment at Home(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21278_11035.asp
Parenting in the NICU(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21295.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/prematuro/9324.asp
Premature Babies: Growth and Development(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZQEMYUQ7C&sub_cat=26
Premature Baby: Understand Your Preemie's Special Needs(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/premature-baby/FL00108/METHOD=print
Premature Infants: A Later Look(NYU Child Study Center) - http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/premature_infants_later_look
Taking Your Preemie Home(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/medical_care/preemie_home.html
What Is a Neonatologist?(American Academy of Pediatrics) - Links to PDF - http://www.aap.org/family/WhatisPedNeonatologist.pdf
When Your Baby Is Born with a Health Problem(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/genetic/newborn_problems.html
When Your Baby's in the NICU(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/ill/nicu_caring.html

Videos

Bubble CPAP Therapy for Newborns with Respiratory Distress Syndrome(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 11/06/2006 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=361
Also available in Spanish http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM-Spanish/nep_1771/rnh_sp.cfm

Financial Issues

Paying for NICU Care(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21295_6085.asp

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Infant, Premature(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Infant,+Premature%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Infant, Premature, Diseases(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Infant,+Premature,+Diseases%22

Research

C-Sections Tied to Some Premature Births(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/research/csections_preemies.html
Research on Preterm Labor and Premature Birth(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/womenshealth/research/pregbirth/preterm.cfm

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Pulmonary vein stenosis: prematurity and associated conditions. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762500&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Interrater reliability and effect of state on blood pressure measurements... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762493&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Very low birth weight preterm infants with surgical short bowel... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762491&tool=MedlinePlus
Premature Babies -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(infant,premature[majr]+OR+premature+birth[majr])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Quick NICU Reference Guide(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21278_11036.asp

Directories

American Board of Pediatrics: Verification of Certification Search(American Board of Pediatrics) - https://www.abp.org/NewVerification/faces/VerificationSearch.jsp

Organizations

American Academy of Pediatrics - http://www.aap.org/
KidsHealth(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/index_noflash.html
March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation - http://www.marchofdimes.com/
Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/

Statistics

FASTATS: Birthweight and Gestation(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/birthwt.htm
PeriStats(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/peristats/

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

High Risk Pregnancy - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/highriskpregnancy.html
Children and Teenagers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childrenandteenagers.html
Pregnancy and Reproduction - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pregnancyandreproduction.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Premature Babies is the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/

Date last updated: October 02 2008

Topic last reviewed: September 23 2008