Premature infants

Premature infants are babies born before full-term gestation. Such babies account for a disproportionately high amount of neonatal morbidity and mortality, that is, when epidimeolgic statistics on reported illness and deaths among newborns are compiled, premature infants are overrepresented among newborns. Prematurity is qualitatively different according to the extent of in utero (in the womb) development that the baby has undergone, the closer that the baby is to term, generally, the better his or her chances of survival and a normal life after survival.

A fair percentage of babies who are pre-term by estimation of a calendar due date have characteritics of full term babies. One study 3 comparing sonographic with menstrual dates from a large database found that only 78% of pregnancies designated preterm (less than 37 completed weeks) by menstrual dates were actually preterm, according to a confirming sonogram. (Klebanoff MA. Gestational age: not always what it seems.[comment]. [Comment. Editorial] Obstetrics & Gynecology. 109(4):798-9, 2007 Apr. UI: 17400838). That de date is determined by the reported date of the last menstrual period, and in women who do not keep records, and for those who have irregular periods, the date given may be inaccurate.