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preterm birth

A Dictionary of Nursing | 2008 | 529 words | Copyright

preterm birth (premature birth) (pree-term) n. birth of a baby before 37 weeks (259 days) of gestation (calculated from the first day of the mother's last menstrual period); a birth at less than 23 weeks is at present incompatible with life. Conditions affecting preterm babies may include respiratory distress syndrome, feeding difficulties, inability to maintain normal body temperature, apnoea, infection, necrotizing enterocolitis, and brain haemorrhages. Supportive treatment is provided in an incubator in a neonatal unit.

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