Premature babies are not uncommon – around half of all expectant mothers go into labour early.

For some mothers, their waters break early bringing on labour within a few hours or days. Some have a weak cervix; others have high blood pressure, diabetes or a kidney disease.

In other cases there’s an abnormally shaped uterus, a uterus with a benign tumor (fibroid) or a problem with the position of the placenta. Smoking, heavy drinking or drug abuse can also trigger labour early as can malnutrition or pre-eclampsia. or misuse of other drugs

If you’ve had one premature baby you are more likely to have another – around 25 to 50%. It has to be said though that for many ladies, the early onset of labour only happens once.

The most important factor in premature babies developing normally is the gestational period (how close to the 38 week term they reach.) The closer, the better their chances.

Their weight, the absence of breathing difficulties, congenital abnormalities or malformations and the presence of infections also have a significant effect.

The closer the child is to the 38 week term the more developed their organs will be and the greater their chances of survival (as the following chart, based on the survival for live born infants who received neonatal intensive care in the USA in the late1990s, shows.)

Between Weeks 23 and 24, a baby’s survival chances increase by 3 or 4% each day, and by about 2-3% a day between weeks 24 and 26. After week 26 the rate of survival increases at a much slower rate as the survival rate is high already.

In the majority of cases, a baby will be allowed home when it can breath by itself unaided, and can manage to keep satisfactory oxygen levels within its blood; can maintain its own body temperature without the assistance of an incubated environment; and can feed at a sufficient level to maintain an acceptable level of growth.

You can find out more about the equipment used by Lincoln Special Care Baby Unit on the Equipment Page.