Premature Birth

A baby born before 37 weeks is premature (preterm). In Australia that’s about 1 in 12 babies. Most do well, and quick action when labour starts early makes a real difference.

Signs of early labour

• Regular tightenings or period-like cramps before 37 weeks
• Low back ache or pressure in the pelvis that comes and goes
• A gush or trickle of fluid from the vagina
• Bleeding or a change in discharge
• Your baby moving less than usual

Call your maternity unit now if you notice any of these before 37 weeks. Don’t wait to see if it settles. Call 000 for heavy bleeding, severe pain or if you feel unwell and faint.

Who’s at higher risk

• A previous premature birth
• Twins or more
• A short cervix found on ultrasound
• Smoking: in Australia, 14% of babies of mothers who smoked were born early, versus 7.8% of non-smokers
• Infections, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia and diabetes
• Very short gaps between pregnancies
• Often there’s no obvious cause

What helps

• Regular antenatal care from early pregnancy.
• Stopping smoking, at any stage of pregnancy.
• Progesterone for some women with a short cervix or a previous early birth. Ask your doctor or midwife whether it suits you.
• Avoiding planned birth before 39 weeks unless there’s a medical reason.
• If birth is likely early: steroid injections help the baby’s lungs, and magnesium sulfate before very early birth helps protect the brain.

After an early birth

• Babies born very early may need the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for help with breathing, warmth, feeding and infections.
• Skin-to-skin (kangaroo) care helps keep babies warm and supports breastfeeding and growth.
• Development is checked by corrected age: age from the due date, not the birth date.
• Many units offer follow-up clinics for development, hearing and vision. Ask your GP or child health nurse about extra protection such as RSV immunisation.

The numbers

• Worldwide, about 13.4 million babies were born preterm in 2020, more than 1 in 10 births.
• Complications of preterm birth are the leading cause of death in children under 5. WHO estimates three-quarters of these deaths could be prevented with simple, proven care.
• In Australia, 8.4% of babies were born preterm in 2023, a rate that has barely changed since 2010.

Weird history

• From 1903 to 1943, Martin Couney ran a sideshow at Coney Island in New York where visitors paid to see premature babies in incubators. He wasn’t a doctor, but his show gave thousands of babies care that hospitals then wouldn’t. He claimed to have saved about 6,500.
• Kangaroo care was developed in Bogotá, Colombia, around 1978 by doctors Edgar Rey Sanabria and Héctor Martínez-Gómez, because the hospital didn’t have enough incubators.

Helpful resources

• Miracle Babies FoundationSupport for families of premature and sick newborns. Free, Australia.
• Pregnancy, Birth and BabyAustralian Government pregnancy advice, including premature labour. Free.

Evidence and more information

• WHO: Preterm birth fact sheet
• AIHW: Australia’s mothers and babies, gestational age
• History.com: Baby incubators on the boardwalk
• Embryo Project Encyclopedia: Kangaroo mother care

Updated 13 November 2026. General education, not personal medical advice. Treatment depends on your situation, so talk to your GP or pharmacist.

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