What is World Prematurity Day?
Every year, World Prematurity Day raises concerns about premature births for their families.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 15 million babies are born preterm. One in ten babies is born prematurely, which means one out of every ten babies is born prematurely. At less than 37 weeks gestation, a baby is considered premature. The number of preterm babies is on the rise. India, China, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the United States are among the countries with the largest preterm births. Because these babies have an elevated risk of injury, premature births have sparked fears. Some of the most common disorders and health problems include cerebral palsy, developmental delay, asthma, hearing loss, vision problems, intestinal disorders, and recurrent infections.
Other babies are also vulnerable to death. One million babies die each year as a result of premature birth complications. The leading cause of child death among children under the age of 5 is premature birth globally. Half of these babies die in low-income settings due to a lack of cost-effective care and a lack of primary care for infections and respiratory difficulties. Most babies born in high-income countries who were born or after 32 weeks almost always survive.
Helping babies live
Premature babies are tiny, and their organs are often underdeveloped. Those organs are also underdeveloped. Baby Saybie is the world's smallest premature baby to survive. She was born at 23 weeks and weighed only 8.6 ounces at 8.6 ounces. Doctors told her parents that she only had hours to live. She was discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in San Diego, California, five months later.
