Premmie Babies

The Littlest of Little Ones

Why a Premature (Premmie) Baby?

Most pregnancies last about 40 weeks and premature birth is defined as birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy.  Nobody plans to have a premmie baby and statistics show that 1 in 8 babies in the UK are born premature.

About half of all women who go into premature labour do so for no known reason, others may have a medical condition that contributes to early labour.   Babies can be born prematurely for many different reasons including a rupture of your bag of waters causing a risk of infection, high blood pressure, diabetes, pre-eclampsia and placenta previa. While there are many different reasons why a baby may be born early, there is still a lot that is not known about the causes of prematurity.

Stressful events including long distance air travel or the death of someone very close to you can also contribute, however, there is no evidence that the normal day-to-day stresses of life can bring on premature labour.

A previous premature delivery can also be a factor as those that have had one premature birth have a 25 percent to 50 percent chance of going into premature labour again. Of course, thankfully, for many women early labour happens only once.

Statistics show that premature births occur less frequently among healthy women who receive periodic medical care. You can also help ensure a normal birth by following a well-balanced diet and by avoiding the use of tobacco, alcohol, and all drugs except those recommended by your doctor.

Fortunately, medical advances mean that survival rates of premmie babies, especially babies born before 28 weeks into the pregnancy, have largely increased.

Here at LiliMay we know how difficult it is to find premmie baby clothing in the UK and we are always available to help if you are looking for specific premmie baby clothes. We are looking to expand our range so keep checking back.