What is premature birth?
Pre-term labor is labor that begins before the 37th week of pregnancy. The normal length of pregnancy is 40 weeks. Babies born too early are considered premature and will need special care.

Why does it happen?
It is not clear why pre-term labor starts, however, there are risk factors that may increase your chances for pre-term labor.

How can you help prevent pre-term labor?
Know what to look for and follow these precautions:

• Get early and regular prenatal care.
• Become aware of the signals your body gives you.
• Learn the steps you can take to ease pre-term labor symptoms should they occur.
• Understand which activities might be contributing to the symptoms of pre-term labor.
• Look at how you can change your daily activities to reduce or avoid pre-term symptoms.
• Review "Steps to Avoid Pre-term Labor" patient education sheet. Ask your health provider for a copy.

What should you do if you experience pre-term labor symptoms?

• Think about what you were doing when the symptoms began.
• Stop what you were doing.
• Lie down on your left side with a pillow at your back for one hour.
• Drink 3-4 glasses of water or juice in the next hour. Empty your bladder appropriately.
• Use your fingertips to feel when your uterus is relaxed (soft) or when your uterus tightens with a contraction. Record how frequently the contractions come and how long they last.
• If after an hour you continue to have contractions every 15 minutes or closer, call your healthcare provider. Also, call your healthcare provider or go to the hospital if the symptoms get worse during that hour.
• Return to light activity if the symptoms go away after that hour. Do not do what you were doing when the symptoms began!
• If the symptoms come back after an hour of rest, call your provider. Never ignore your symptoms or assume they aren't important.
• Be sure to tell your provider at your next prenatal visit what symptoms you had and what you did about them.