Premature babies are a fact of life, and most moms-to-be know there is always a possibility that their baby may be born premature.
However, in the last 20+ years, premature births have increased by 36%, and doctors don’t really know why.
In fact, in 40% of premature births, the cause is unknown.
When the cause of premature birth is known, it’s usually 1 of these 4 reasons:
- Infections — such as bladder, kidney, vaginal, sexually transmitted, and urinary tract infections.
- Uterus is overstretched — which can sometimes happen when there are multiple babies.
- Bleeding — which can happen with placental abruption and placenta previa.
- Stress — either the mom or the baby (or both) is under an unusual amount of stress.