World Prematurity Day
November 17, 2016
World Prematurity Day is observed globally on November 17 every year to raise awareness of preterm birth and the care of premature babies and their family.
The term prematurity or preterm refers to the birth of a baby less than 37 weeks of pregnancy. Premature infants are also mentioned as preemies or premmies. The first international awareness day for preterm birth was created by European parent organizations in 2008 and has been celebrated since 2011.
Approximately 15 million babies are born preterm each year, accounting for about one in 10 of all babies born worldwide. Prematurity is the leading cause of new born deaths in the first four weeks of life and the leading cause of death among children under five-years-old around the world.
However, 75% of these deaths are preventable through basic care such as warmth, breastfeeding and care for breathing difficulties.
Some risk factors involved in preterm labour and preterm birth:
- You’ve had a premature baby in the past.
- You’re pregnant with multiples (twins, triplets or more).
- You have problems with your uterus or cervix now or you’ve had them in the past.
- Smoking, drinking alcohol, using street drugs or abusing prescription drugs
- Having a lot of stress in your life.
- Domestic violence.
- Working long hours or having to stand a lot
- Being exposed to pollutants, like air pollution and harmful chemicals at work.
On this day let us honour the 15 million babies who struggled to survive this year and over 1 million babies who sadly lost their fight for life.
Source: www.en.wikipedia.org / www.marchofdimes.org
Image Credit: www.haileyshopefoundation.org / www.unicef.bg
