Premature infant

Alternative names:

prematurity, premie; preterm infant

Prevention:

The first and one of the most important steps to prevent prematurity is to begin prenatal care as soon as the mother knows she is pregnant and to continue prenatal care throughout the pregnancy. This cannot be stressed enough. Statistics clearly show that early and good prenatal care reduce the incidence of prematurity, small for gestational age babies (SGA), and morbidity associated with delivery and the neonatal period. Premature labor that is inevitable can sometimes be stopped or slowed by a medication that inhibits uterine contractions. Ritodrine is a commonly used medication for this purpose. Stopping premature labor allows time for the fetus to mature within the uterus. Not all attempts at stopping premature labor are successful.