premature birth

Reporter Jenny Gold and her husband, Alex Gourse, with their newborn son at Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago two days after his birth.

Health & Safety

I Went Through My Pregnancy With Strangers. It Was The Best Decision I Could've Made

7:32pm May 27, 2019

by Jenny Gold

Group prenatal visits are catching on — they can save money and reduce the risk of premature births. For one mother, it turned out to be the best decision she made during her pregnancy.

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Their research is still in early stages, but Kristin Myers (left), a mechanical engineer, and Dr. Joy Vink, an OB-GYN, both at Columbia University, have already learned that cervical tissue is a more complicated mix of material than doctors ever realized.

Scientific Duo Gets Back To Basics To Make Childbirth Safer

7:30am February 18, 2019

by Alison Kodjak

Remarkably little is known about the fundamentals of how a woman carries a baby inside her. Two Columbia University researchers aim to change that, to reduce the number of kids born too soon.

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Babies of moms who are in the ICU with severe flu have a greater chance of being born premature and underweight.

Severe Flu Raises Risk Of Birth Problems For Pregnant Women, Babies

10:30pm January 10, 2019

by Patti Neighmond

Pregnant women in intensive care with severe cases of the flu have a higher risk of giving birth to babies prematurely. The risk of breathing problems for the baby is also substantially higher.

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For older mothers, it can feel like there's little time to waste before trying for another child. But there are real risks linked to getting pregnant again too soon.

How Long Should Older Moms Wait Before Getting Pregnant Again?

7:58pm November 01, 2018

by Carey Goldberg

As a woman ages, choosing when to try for a second or third child means weighing fertility odds against the risks of getting pregnant again too soon. A new study provides more data to help decide.

Stress, poverty and lack of health care can lead to premature birth. Rates remain stubbornly high in many states.

Health & Safety

Premature Birth Rates Rise Again, But A Few States Are Turning Things Around

3:51pm November 01, 2018

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Premature birth rates are heading in the wrong direction after nearly a decade of decline. Some states have started to tackle the problem, while others struggle with stubbornly high rates.

Scientists are in the early stages of developing new tests that could predict accurately if a woman is at risk of delivering her baby early.

Scientists Search For Causes Of Preterm Birth And Better Ways To Test For Risk

3:07pm July 22, 2018

by Sara Kiley Watson

Preterm birth, a leading cause of death in infants, remains stubbornly hard to prevent. Researchers are on the hunt for a better understanding of what causes it and better ways to diagnose risk.

Samantha Pierce of Cleveland has a 7-year-old daughter, Camryn. In 2009, Pierce gave premature birth to twins. The babies did not survive. Scientists say black women lead more stressful lives, which makes them more likely to give birth prematurely and put

How Racism May Cause Black Mothers To Suffer The Death Of Their Infants

10:05am December 20, 2017

African-American women are more likely to lose a baby in the first year of life than women of any other race. Scientists think that stress from racism makes their bodies and babies more vulnerable.

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Deona Scott and her son Phoenix at her graduation from Charleston Southern University in South Carolina in 2015. Scott now works full time for Nurse-Family Partnership, a program she credits with helping to prepare her to be a good mother.

'Pay For Success' Approach Used To Fund A Program That Supports New Moms

6:04am August 09, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

South Carolina says it will contribute up to $7.5 million to help fund the expansion of the "Nurse-Family Partnership" in the state if the program can show it is improving pregnancy outcomes.

An illustration of a fetal lamb inside the "artificial womb" device, which mimics the conditions inside a pregnant animal.

Health & Safety

Scientists Create Artificial Womb That Could Help Prematurely Born Babies

4:32pm April 25, 2017

by Rob Stein

The device kept fetal lambs alive for about a month, allowing them to continue to mature. It has not been tested in humans, and some say the device raises ethical questions.

Premature birth is the leading cause of infant death in the U.S. and also can cause lifelong disabilities.

Premature Births Rise Once Again, Despite Efforts To Prevent Them

3:49pm November 01, 2016

by Carmen Heredia Rodriguez

Being born too soon puts babies at risk of lifelong disabilities, and it is the leading cause of infant death. It's not clear why the numbers are going up, but lack of health care is one factor.