Mothers will make sure that everything will be alright throughout the course of their pregnancy. From the food they eat up to the vitamins that they have to take will be thoroughly monitored during the prenatal checkups.

In some instances and due to certain factors, some women give birth to a premature baby. Preterm birth is considered one of the leading health problems, and the numbers of cases are soaring.

Premature babies or Preemies are those who were born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. They may suffer from health problems because their organs were not fully developed. Preemies need medical attention and that is the reason why they stay in a neonatal intensive care unit until such time that their system can function independently.

A new Stanford study shows that premature babies have a tendency to die during early childhood and young adulthood. The said study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Casey Crump, M.D, Ph.D, together with her colleagues analyzed the data about 600,000 Swedish people born between 1973 and 1979.

The team found out that those children who were born less than 37 weeks of pregnancy were much more likely to die before they turn five years old. The pattern disappeared in the late childhood and adolescence but emerged during young adulthood between the ages of 18 and 36 years old. A total of 7095 deaths among the subjects were noted.

The health problems associated to earlier deaths included cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and asthma. The team did not see any connection between premature birth and death from neurologic diseases, cancer, or injury.

An estimated percentage of 12 to 13 percent of babies in US are born preterm and the survival rate increased over the past decades.

The death rate of young adults born at 22 to 27 weeks of pregnancy was 0.95 per 1,000 people every year. Those people who were born full term or born between 37 and 42 weeks, the death rate was 0.46 per 1,000.

There are certain ways that can be done to avoid premature labor. A pregnant woman can take Corticosteroid to help accelerate the development of baby's lungs and brain. She must also make it a point to seek medical advice before taking any kind of medications.

Prenatal visits should be done to monitor baby's wellness and make sure to notify the physician for any abnormal signs like preterm contractions. She should have daily intake of vitamins such as folic acid, iron and other essential vitamins because it is good for the baby's development. She should also learn to manage stress and have enough rest.

Indeed that care for these fragile infants is being done and improves as time goes by. More and more techniques are developed for better handling of preemies. Regular checkups should be done by those adults who were prematurely born for proper health guidance.