Preterm delivery is the cause for over 75 percent of deaths in newborns and over 85 percent of the long term handicaps in babies without congenital abnormalities. It is associated with about five billion dollars of acute costs in the hospital each year. Outcome for your baby depends on a number of factors, but gestational age at delivery is the key factor. The earlier the delivery, the greater the chance of death or handicaps. They may have lifelong handicaps due to immature lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, intestines and brain.
Ventilators help premature babies with immature lungs to breathe.
There is an increase in cerebral palsy in babies born prematurely. The simplest answer to this question is every pregnant woman is at risk of delivering preterm. Socio-economic factors also contribute to higher risks for premature deliveries. Using these risk factors will identify about 40 percent of the patients who will deliver prematurely, but 60 percent will come from the low risk group. Ideally you should meet with your doctor before you become pregnant to discuss important aspects of care early in pregnancy.