How many weeks is considered premature?

Premature birth is related to many factors such as the pregnant woman's physique, mood and diet. Premature birth refers to a fetus that is born before the gestational age of 37 weeks. At this time, the fetus weighs less than 2500g, and the fetus's body resistance is very weak, which makes the fetus easily affected by the disease. Premature babies are more difficult to raise, so pregnant women should prevent the occurrence of premature birth.

How many weeks of fetal birth is considered premature

Live-born infants born before 37 weeks of gestation are called premature infants. Most of their birth weight is below 2500g and their head circumference is below 33cm. Their organ function and adaptability are worse than those of full-term infants, and premature infants should be given special care. Any baby whose birth weight is reduced to below the 10th percentile of normal weight for gestational age or two standard deviations below the mean due to factors such as placental insufficiency is called a small for gestational age baby (small for gestational age, poorly mature baby). Babies with a birth weight below 2500g are collectively referred to as low-weight babies, and those with a birth weight below 1500g are referred to as very low-weight babies, including premature babies and those small for gestational age.

The normal human gestation period starts from the first day of the mother's last menstrual period and lasts for 280 days. Newborns born before 37 weeks (259 days) of gestation are called premature babies, and those born before 32 weeks (224 days) of gestation are called extremely premature babies. Most of their birth weight is below 2500g and their head circumference is below 33cm. A small number of premature infants weighing more than 2500g have poorer organ function and adaptability than full-term infants and should still be given special care.

In addition, regardless of the length of pregnancy, a baby with a birth weight of less than 2500g is called a low birth weight baby, a baby with a birth weight between 1000-1499g is called an extremely low birth weight baby, and a baby with a birth weight of less than 1000g is called an extremely low birth weight baby.

How to prevent premature birth

Infection is a very important cause of premature birth, and pregnant mothers must be careful to prevent infection. In addition, factors such as fatigue, polyhydramnios, and constipation may cause premature birth, so expectant mothers should not relax their vigilance at any stage of pregnancy.

1. Treatment of reproductive tract infections

If you suffer from a reproductive tract infection, you should seek medical treatment in time.

2. Avoid fatigue and external stimulation

It is best not to travel long distances in the late pregnancy to avoid bumpy and tiring journeys; do not go to crowded places to avoid hitting your abdomen; when walking, especially when going up and down stairs, be sure to take steady steps one by one; do not stand or squat for a long time; sexual intercourse is prohibited in the late pregnancy.

3. Maintain a good living condition

During pregnancy, pregnant women should pay attention to improving their living environment, reducing labor intensity, and increasing rest time; the greater the psychological pressure on pregnant women, the higher the incidence of premature birth, especially tension, anxiety and depression are closely related to premature birth. Therefore, pregnant women should keep a calm state of mind, eliminate tension, and avoid adverse mental stimulation; they should take in reasonable and adequate nutrition, and in the late pregnancy they should rest in bed more and lie on their left side to reduce the pressure from the uterine cavity to the cervical opening.

4. Pay attention to your health

If a pregnant woman suffers from complications such as heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc., she should actively cooperate with the doctor's treatment; pregnant women with pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome, twin or multiple pregnancy, placenta previa, polyhydramnios, etc. must follow the doctor's advice, actively do a good job of their own health care during pregnancy, discover abnormalities in time, and seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

5. Beware of cervical relaxation

For those who had premature birth in the previous pregnancy due to cervical relaxation, cervical cerclage should be performed between 16 and 20 weeks of pregnancy (before the gestational age of the previous premature birth).

6. Prevent excessive amniotic fluid

When expectant mothers hear that there is too little amniotic fluid, they will worry about the fetus's intrauterine growth retardation, over-term pregnancy, and even more so, fetal malformations. However, too much amniotic fluid can easily lead to excessive uterine tension and premature birth.

In addition to gestational diabetes, moderate anemia, and pregnant mothers who love sweets and are inactive may also have excessive amniotic fluid, pregnant mothers with fetal neural tube defects and hemolytic problems are also prone to this problem. Therefore, in addition to regular perinatal care, once pregnant mothers feel difficulty breathing, fatigue, and panic, they should go to the hospital as soon as possible for an ultrasound to check the amount of amniotic fluid.

After excluding problems such as fetal malformations, if the expectant mother has too much amniotic fluid, in addition to actively treating the primary disease and resting in bed more, if necessary, amniocentesis can be performed in the middle and late stages of pregnancy to reduce the amount of amniotic fluid, so as to avoid long-term respiratory discomfort in the expectant mother, or even fetal intrauterine hypoxia, premature birth, etc.

7. Avoid sexual intercourse and prevent constipation after 32 weeks

Healthy expectant mothers can have sexual intercourse in the first few weeks of early, middle and late pregnancy, but after 32 weeks, sexual intercourse is strictly prohibited. Hu Mengcai said that this is not only to prevent gynecological inflammation, but also to avoid excessive abdominal pressure or excessive stimulation causing uterine contractions, which in turn may lead to premature birth.

In addition, expectant mothers, especially those with high risk of premature birth such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, diabetes, twins, multiple births, etc., should pay more attention to the following aspects:

(1) Have a comprehensive diet, drink more milk, eat animal liver, etc., and supplement with iron, calcium and other preparations when necessary to prevent premature birth caused by deficiency of trace elements such as iron and copper.

(2) Avoid strenuous activities, especially bending over and other movements that increase abdominal pressure.

(3) Prevent constipation, drink honey water, and eat fresh vegetables and fruits rich in dietary fiber to avoid premature birth caused by difficulty in defecation.

(4) Lie on your left side to avoid uterine contractions.