Various Causes of Babies Born Premature
In some conditions, pregnant women may feel they have to give birth right away. Though the gestational age is not sufficient and the growth of the baby in the womb is still not perfect. This condition is called premature birth of a baby. Then, why is the mother’s body signaling that the baby must be born soon, even though it is not yet time? Find out what causes premature babies below!
Factors that cause premature babies
Quoting from WHO, it is estimated that there are about 15 million babies born prematurely each year. Not only that, there are 1 million children who die because of complications in premature babies.
Quoted from the Pregnancy Birth & Baby website, premature birth occurs when the body is ready to give birth faster. In fact, the womb has not reached 37 weeks and the baby is not ready to come out of the womb.
Normally, babies are born at 40 weeks, because that’s when all the baby’s organs are ripe and ready to be born.
Unfortunately, some women have premature births. However, there is not one single reason why babies are born prematurely.
There are several factors that may play a role in triggering contractions in the uterus and making the cervix dilate before it is time for the baby to be released from the mother’s womb.
What are the causes of premature birth? The following factors can increase the risk of preterm delivery, including:
1. Experiencing complications during pregnancy
Pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes can cause premature babies.
Not only that, problems with the placenta such as placenta previa and placental abruption can also cause premature babies.
Placenta previa occurs when the placenta attaches to the lower part of the uterus. Meanwhile, placental abruption is a condition when the placenta is completely or partially detached before the baby is born
2. Multiple pregnancy
This occurs when you are pregnant with twins or more and have excess amniotic fluid. Both of these things can make you more likely to have a baby prematurely.
An estimated 50 percent of twin pregnancies end in preterm birth. In addition, nearly all incidence of multiple twins has a 90 percent risk of being born prematurely.
The cause of premature babies is not only because the uterus carries a much heavier burden than a single pregnancy.
However, complications are very prone to occur in pregnant women with twins or its later multiples.
Babies born prematurely can also occur due to low birth weight until the baby dies in the womb.
3. Age of pregnant women
Pregnant women who are younger than 17 years or older than 35 years are more likely to have babies born prematurely than those between 17-35 years.
Pregnant over 35 years of age have a high risk of experiencing complications or bleeding so that in the end it can cause premature babies.
Women who become pregnant under age (teenage pregnancy) also carry the risk of experiencing complications.
One of them is babies born prematurely because they grow and develop in the mother’s womb who are not yet old enough.
4. Weight during pregnancy does not meet the standards
Although nearly half of women gain excess weight during pregnancy, 21% are less than their ideal weight. This refers to a study in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Evidence suggests that low pre-pregnancy weight is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth.
Obese pregnant women are also at increased risk of certain complications during pregnancy, during labor and delivery, and after birth.
5. Have experience giving birth to premature babies
If you have previously given birth prematurely, this can increase your risk of having another preterm birth.
Studies show women who give birth prematurely are at a 30-50% higher chance of having a preterm birth in their next pregnancy.
A history of preterm delivery is one of the strongest causes of recurrence of preterm babies and recurrences often occur at the same age.
About 70% of early deliveries occur within two weeks of gestation from the first preterm birth. We recommend that you first consult your doctor about treatments that can be done.
6. The distance between pregnancies is very short
The period between two pregnancies that is only six to nine months between the birth of one baby and the onset of the next pregnancy is also known to be the cause of premature birth.
Experts say the optimal time between pregnancies is 18 months but it’s not clear why. Therefore, further research is still needed on this matter.
The longer the pregnancy between children, the lower the risk of premature birth. Therefore, you need to know how long to wait to get pregnant again in order to avoid the risk of the baby being born prematurely.
7. Infections of the uterus and vagina
Infections of the uterus, including the amniotic fluid, and the vagina, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV) infection, can cause preterm birth. In fact, this infection generally causes half of all cases of preterm birth.
Experts suspect that the infection can cause vaginal inflammation, resulting in the release of prostaglandins, which trigger the birth process.
Another theory states that compounds produced by bacteria in the affected genital tract can weaken the membrane around the amniotic fluid and cause premature shedding.
Bacteria can also cause infection and inflammation of the uterus, which can lead to premature birth of a baby.
Infections that occur in other parts of the body can also trigger premature birth, such as infections of the kidneys, pneumonia, appendicitis (appendicitis), and infections of the urinary tract.
8. Abnormalities in the structure of the uterus or cervix
Abnormalities in the uterus or cervix can make it more difficult for the baby to get out of the womb. Therefore this can also be the cause of premature births.
Then, abnormalities in the uterus or cervix include:
- Short cervix (less than 25 mm)
- The cervix does not close as it should during pregnancy
- The cervix is thinning
- The cervix opens (dilates) but is not accompanied by contractions.
The risk of preterm birth increases significantly in women who have a short cervix after undergoing uterine surgery,
This is primarily a cone biopsy or procedure loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) -— which tests for precancerous or abnormal cells.
9. Stress
The severe stress caused by a traumatic experience can cause the release of hormones that trigger birth, so the baby must be born prematurely. Stress from work can also be the cause of premature babies.
Research shows that pregnant women who stand for more than five hours a day or who have physically tiring jobs are also more likely to give birth prematurely.
Manage your feelings so that stress does not develop into depression. Pregnant women who have (whether diagnosed or not) new depression or recurrent depression have an increased risk of 30-40% of experiencing preterm birth that occurs in the 32-36 weeks gestation period.
10. Other conditions
Other things that can cause babies to be born prematurely are autoimmune disorders, anemia, infections, premature rupture of membranes and chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. There is also a possibility that it occurs due to genetic factors.
Do you have unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol to taking illegal drugs? This behavior not only increases the risk of miscarriage.
However, it can also be the cause of the baby being born prematurely or making the baby have a low birth weight. The chemicals contained in cigarettes, alcoholic drinks, and drugs can penetrate the placenta.
Prevention that can be done
After knowing some of the causes of premature birth, you can also take precautions.
This is done to help if you have a problem or a high enough risk of having a premature baby.
Ways to prevent premature babies that can be done are:
1. Take progesterone supplements
If you have a previous history of giving birth to premature babies or have a relatively short cervix, it is possible that you will be given progesterone supplements.
This supplement is used to prevent premature delivery of the baby and prevent miscarriage. However, this supplement should only be taken if prescribed by a doctor.
2. Cervical cerclage
If someone has a condition that could cause premature birth such as a short cervix, you will need to undergo a surgical procedure.
This procedure is performed by suturing the cervix to support the uterus. The stitches will then be removed when it is time to give birth.
Again, this procedure is only done if your doctor recommends it.
