Not every pregnancy makes it to the due date. In fact about 6 to 8% of all babies born in Australia will be 'premature' or 'preterm'. A 'term' pregnancy is defined as 37 to 42 weeks. Babies born within this time frame are generally regarded as 'being ready to be born'. A premature or 'preterm baby' refers to babies born before 37 weeks of the pregnancy. If your baby is born before this time, your caregiver will usually have some concerns for your baby's health.
Sometimes a preterm baby is born because the labour is induced or a Caesarean is performed to end the pregnancy early. This is called an 'elective preterm birth' and can happen if the mother and / or the baby are very unwell, leading to a decision by the caregiver to deliver the baby(s), even though they are premature. Elective preterm births account for approximately 25 to 40% of preterm births.
The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies preterm babies into 3 categories, as follows:
From
32 to 37 weeks is regarded as ' mildly preterm'. Nearly 80% of preterm babies are born around 32 to 37 weeks gestation.
From
28 to 31 weeks is regarded as 'moderately preterm'. About 11% of preterm babies will be born around 28 to 31 weeks gestation.
Before
28 weeks is regarded as 'extremely preterm'. About 9% of preterm babies will be born less than 28 weeks gestation.
If you wish to read about why babies are born preterm, possible risk factors and treatments for preterm labour and birth as well as some of the common health concerns for preterm babies you can look at
premature birth.