Have you ever felt like a situation or circumstance happened too early?
Imagine what mothers go through when faced with the fact that their child, or children, will be born prematurely.
November 17 is Prematurity Awareness Day, with a purple ribbon used as a symbol of its significance. While November is a month known for being thankful, it is also the month for awareness of premature (or preterm) babies.
According to the World Health Organization, a premature baby is defined as a baby born before the 37 weeks of a pregnancy’s conclusion. There are three possible classifications of a preterm child: extreme preterm (less than 28 weeks), very preterm (28 to less than 32 weeks), and moderate to late preterm (32 to 37 weeks).
According to the World Health Organization, in 2020, 13.4 million babies were born prematurely. One million of those 13.4 million babies died because of preterm complications and effects. The most common effects are ones dealing with the child’s lungs, blood, growth defects, and even fatality.
The survival rate mostly depends on where the baby was born, along with how well-off the parents are. For example, more than 90% of preterm babies born in low-income countries die within the first few days of life, while less than 10% of preterm babies in high-income settings die within the first few days.
This now makes preterm birth the leading cause of child death within children who have passed before their fifth birthday.
According to KidsHealth.org, in order to keep a preterm baby alive and healthy it’s important to keep them warm because they do not have enough fat, allow them to sleep on their backs to avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and giving them more nutrients than the average baby to keep them safe from fatality or near-death complications.
Every woman is different, which explains the reason for the differences in each pregnancy experiences. According to the World Health Organization, there are many reasons why women would go into preterm labor. The most common are: multiple pregnancies, infections, chronic conditions (such as low iron, blood pressure, diabetes, etc.), genetic influences, along with neurological factors, race, and age.
In my personal experience, three of my parents’ five children were born prematurely.
“I can’t hold a full term due to there being a hole in my cervix,” stated my mother, Zimara Cook.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the cervix is the canal that connects a woman’s uterus (where the baby is developed until birth) and the vagina. My mother having a hole in her cervix definitely makes things more challenging for her when it comes to reproducing.
My mother not only went into labor early, but she also went into labor with twins. My twin sister and I were eleven weeks premature, along with my oldest sister, who was six weeks.
My sister and I both had an umbilical hernia, a feeding tube, and more fragile than normal immune systems. I had my feeding tube in for a week, while my sister had hers for around three days because we hadn’t gained the sucking motion. I also gained an infection from the feeding tube, which caused me not to eat for two days, dropping my weight.
Having children in general took a toll on parents’ mental health . Adding the fact of preterm birth and the possibility of fatality for both me and my siblings didn’t make matters better, in fact, it caused some real stress and anxiety issues within the family.
“Being young parents, we were very nervous and cautious about everything. You always have the thought in the back of your head that things could turn out for the worst, but we had to keep a positive outlook on the situation we were given,” said my father, Trumaine Cook.
Based on information from March of Dimes, here are some convenient tips and ways that you could help prevent going into preterm labor:
- Waiting the full 18 months before getting pregnant again.
- Protecting yourself from STIs and other possible infections from day-to-day life.
- Scheduling a preconception check-up to make sure that you are at a healthy weight that benefits you and your baby.
If your loved one or someone you know is pregnant, please help in educating them on preterm babies and preparation for labor. In addition, if you know someone being affected by preterm birth, support them during this time, help where you can, and advocate for their safety in future references.