November is National Prematurity Awareness Month
November is National Prematurity Awareness Month and we wanted to provide a little more information about premature birth, as well as offer support for women facing certain risk factors. A premature birth refers to a baby that is born at least three weeks before their due date. Important growth and development milestones occur throughout pregnancy, but even more so in the final months and weeks. Our hope is that through proper care and education, our patients can see their due dates and go home with healthy, full-term babies. Although babies born very preterm are a small percentage of all births, these very preterm infants account for a large proportion of infant mortality rates. More infants die from preterm-related problems than from any other cause. Some premature babies require special care and spend weeks or months hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Those who survive are at risk of facing lifelong problems such as intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy,