Preterm Labor and Birth: Risks and Treatments

早产is any labor that happens on its own prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy. This is slightly different than preterm birth, which is the birth of a baby prior to 37 weeks. While one may go into preterm labor, many times labor can be stopped, even if only for a little while, to give the baby more time to grow.

Preterm birth poses many risks for your baby, including that the baby will die or be harmed permanently due to injuries or damage from being born too early. So if preterm labor can be delayed by even a few weeks, the outcomes for your baby are better.早产的常见并发症包括视觉问题，发育延迟和脑瘫。

Extremely preterm birth is when a baby isborn prior to 28 weeks of gestation(or under 32, by some definitions). Nearly 100 percent of extremely preterm babies will require resuscitation to live. They will most likely spend 12 or more weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Steroids do not stave off birth, but are given to mature the baby's lungs quicker if preterm birth is a possibility. Magnesium sulfate is used to help prevent preterm birth while giving steroids which also has the added benefit of maturing the brain.

晚和适度的公关eterm birth is when babies are born between 32 and 36 weeks gestation. These babies account for about75 percent of all preterm births。虽然在这个时间帧中出生的婴儿比极度早产的婴儿的风险较低，但它们仍然增加了呼吸困难的风险，并且难以保持温暖，并且通常需要一些在尼古尔的护理。这些早产通常是怀孕的结果，母亲有两只或多个婴儿，母亲和obstetrical intervention。

有些人是more likely to experience preterm labor than others, such as women who are diagnosed with various illnesses in pregnancy, including cervical insufficiency (when the cervix won’t stay closed). You are more likely to have preterm labor if you smoke, use certain drugs, or have certain infections. In some cases, massive amounts of stress may place you at a higher risk of preterm labor, as can having had a baby early in a previous pregnancy.

早产can strike in any pregnancy, but it is more common in certain situations. For example, if you have multiple babies (i.e., twins or triplets), you are more likely to have them early, and the more babies you are carrying, the earlier they are likely to be born. Your health care team can help you monitor for preterm labor and perhaps delay it until it is safer for your babies to be born.Sixty percent of twins and 98 percent of triplets were born preterm or extremely preterm。

好消息是有的话warning signs of preterm laborthat can help you know when to seek help. Signs include contractions that come every 10 minutes, or more frequently; low, dull backache; an increase in your vaginal discharge or mucus; your water breaks; cramping with or without diarrhea; or pelvic pressure.

If you think you’re experiencing preterm labor, you should立即打电话给你的医生或助产士。在等待与他们交谈时，喝水，躺下。如果您的电话尚未返回，请在几分钟内再次呼叫。如果他们没有回复，请转到最近的急诊室以获得帮助。在那里，他们可以帮助您识别您是否在早产，如有必要，请对待您。

做帮助的一件事停止早产is to ensure that you are well hydrated. Short-term and long-term medications may work to help stop contractions. Whether your labor can be stopped or even delayed will depend on the reason you are going into preterm labor. Some preterm labors will be managed in the hospital and sometimes you can be sent home on some medications. There are also一些治疗方法to try to prevent preterm labor in high-risk moms.

Planning your pregnancy and getting regular prenatal care can help you lower the risk of preterm labor. Sometimes it is out of your control, like when you have multiples or certain risk factors. Your doctor, midwife, or other health care provider should help you learn how to identify it and seek treatment immediately to help delay the birth and decrease the risks to your baby. Remember, too, that technology has come a long way, and every year we learn more to help prevent these problems.