Preterm babies: Key facts about these little fighters
Some babies simply cannot wait until the calculated date of birth. They enter the world earlier than full-term infants. This leads to challenges for baby and mom. Here you will find information and facts about these little fighters.
15 million, or about 1 in 10 babies are born preterm each year around the world, that’s the equivalent of a preterm baby born every 2 seconds! 1 in 10 babies is born prematurely.(1)
How small is small?
Preterm Baby
Full-term Baby
Weight
~ 1kg
(baby born at 28 weeks (2))
~ 3.4kg
Head Circumference
~ 20cm
(baby born at 22 weeks (2, 3))
~ 34cm(2,3)
Length
~ 30cm
(baby born at 24 weeks (2))
~ 50cm(2)
Did you know?
Growth expectations for preterm infants are up to 5 times higher than term born peers.(4)
Good prospects for the future
Thanks to many advances in neonatology, the medicine of premature babies, these little ones today have very good chances. Even a birth in the 23rd week of pregnancy is no longer necessarily life-threatening.
Names that may ring a bell!
Albert Einstein, Stevie Wonder, Sir Isaac Newton, Anna Pavlova, Wilma Rudolph, and Pablo Picasso are some of the famous and great people who were born prematurely. Another proof that while they might start off small, preemies can achieve big things!
Further Reading
It is increasingly common for babies to arrive before their expected due date. Here is some information and other useful details if you are new parents to a premature baby or if your baby is likely to arrive early.
It is increasingly common for babies to arrive before their expected due date. Here is some information and other useful details if you are new parents to a premature baby or if your baby is likely to arrive early.
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- March of DIMES, PMNCH, Save the Children, WHO. 2012. Born too soon: the global action report on preterm birth. In: HOWSON, C., KINNEY, M. & LAWN, J. (eds.). Geneva: World Health Organization.
- Clark, R. H., Olsen, I. E., & Spitzer, A. R. (2014). Assessment of neonatal growth in prematurely born infants. Clinics in perinatology, 41(2), 295-307.
- Boghossian, N. S., Geraci, M., Edwards, E. M., Morrow, K. A., & Horbar, J. D. (2016). Anthropometric charts for infants born between 22 and 29 weeks’ gestation. Pediatrics, 138(6).
[en ligne]: Anthropometric Charts for Infants Born Between 22 and 29 Weeks’ Gestation | American Academy of Pediatrics (aappublications.org) - World Prematurity Day – highlight on the challenges of preterm birth (nutricia.com)
