Premature Labour
Premature labour is labour that happens before the 37th week of pregnancy. About 8 out of 100 babies will be born prematurely.
Call your midwife or maternity unit if you're less than 37 weeks pregnant and you have:
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regular contractions or tightenings
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period-type pains
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a "show" – when the plug of mucus that has sealed the cervix during pregnancy comes away and out of the vagina
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a gush or trickle of fluid from your vagina – this could be your waters breaking
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backache that's not usual for you
The midwife or hospital will offer checks, tests and monitoring to find out whether:
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your waters have broken
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you're in labour
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you have an infection
These may include a vaginal examination, blood test, urine test and cardiotocography to record contractions and the baby's heartbeat.
They'll need to check you and your baby to find out whether you're in labour, and discuss your care choices with you.
Planned premature labour
In some cases, pre-term labour is planned and induced because it's safer for the baby to be born sooner rather than later.
This could be because of a health condition in the mother, such as pre-eclampsia, or in the baby.
Your midwife and doctor will discuss with you the benefits and risks of continuing with the pregnancy versus your baby being born premature.
You can still make a birth plan, and discuss your wishes with your birth partner, midwife and doctor.
If you're in premature labour
The midwife or doctor may offer:
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medicine to try to slow down or stop your labour (tocolysis)
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corticosteroid injections, which can help your baby's lungs
Slowing down labour or stopping it isn't appropriate in all circumstances – your midwife or doctor can discuss your situation with you.
They will consider:
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how many weeks pregnant you are
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whether it might be safer for the baby to be born – for example, if you have an infection or you're bleeding
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local neonatal (newborn) care facilities and whether you might need to be moved to another hospital
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your wishes
Corticosteroid injections can help your baby's lungs get ready for breathing if they're born prematurely. There are 2 injections, given 12 hours apart – your midwife or doctor will discuss the benefits and risks with you.
Corticosteroids probably won't be offered after 36 weeks as your baby's lungs are likely to be ready for breathing on their own.
If you're in premature labour and you're between 24 and 29 weeks pregnant you should be offered magnesium sulphate. This can help protect your baby's brain development. You may also be offered it if you're in labour between 30 and 34 weeks. This is to protect your baby against problems linked to being born too soon, such as cerebral palsy.
If you take magnesium sulphate for more than 5 to 7 days or several times during your pregnancy, your newborn baby may be offered extra checks. This is because prolonged use of magnesium sulphate in pregnancy has in rare cases been linked to bone problems in newborn babies.
What are the risks to my baby of being born early?
Babies born before full term (before 37 weeks) are vulnerable to problems associated with being born premature. The earlier in the pregnancy a baby is born, the more vulnerable they are.
Babies are considered "viable" at 24 weeks of pregnancy – this means it's possible for them to survive being born at this stage.
Babies born this early need special care in a hospital with specialist facilities for premature babies. This is called a neonatal unit. They may have health and development problems because they haven't fully developed in the womb.
If your baby is likely to be delivered early, you should be admitted to a hospital with a neonatal unit.
Not all hospitals have facilities for the care of very premature babies, so it may be necessary to transfer you and your baby to another unit, ideally before delivery (if time permits) or immediately afterwards.
