Jojo
11-06-2009, 10:07 AM
Are there health reasons why a baby might need to be born early?
Premature births sometimes happen because doctors decide that a baby needs to be born early for medical reasons. They may decide labour needs to be induced, or they may say an early caesarean section is needed. About a fifth of premature births happen this way.
Doctors might decide that a baby needs to be born early if:
he is not growing as well as he should in the uterus
he has an abnormality
Or if the woman has:
a medical condition which means it is safer for a baby to be born early (Haas 2008)
had some trauma to her abdomen, such as a blow to the belly
pre-eclampsia
Remember that having one or more of these factors doesn't mean a baby will be born prematurely, it just increases the chances that it will happen.
Premature births sometimes happen because doctors decide that a baby needs to be born early for medical reasons. They may decide labour needs to be induced, or they may say an early caesarean section is needed. About a fifth of premature births happen this way.
Doctors might decide that a baby needs to be born early if:
he is not growing as well as he should in the uterus
he has an abnormality
Or if the woman has:
a medical condition which means it is safer for a baby to be born early (Haas 2008)
had some trauma to her abdomen, such as a blow to the belly
pre-eclampsia
Remember that having one or more of these factors doesn't mean a baby will be born prematurely, it just increases the chances that it will happen.