Regular prenatal exams, avoiding tobacco and recreational drugs, and immediately reporting any symptoms of premature labor all reduce your risk of premature delivery. The transition from inside to outside the womb causes the problems of prematurity. After birth, babies are no longer able to depend on their mothers for biological support. Lungs, heart, brain, liver, and intestinal tract are all forced to operate independently of the mother's nurturing uterine environment. Depending on how prematurely the baby is born, these organs may not be prepared to assume their functions.
Premature delivery is one of the most important causes of serious illness among newborn infants.
Recent reductions in infant mortality rates have occurred primarily through more effective treatment of prematurely born infants. Even for the most premature infants, the outlook is improving. Each hospital has slightly different criteria for discharging prematurely born babies. The infants themselves also vary in the time they require to mature. In general, babies must be able to do the following things before they go home.