Preterm Birth: When is it Too Small to be Born

In this chapter, we focus on the subdivision of low birth weight, risk factors for preterm birth, consequences of low birth weight, threshold for viability as well as the interventions to reduce infant morbidity and mortality.

Low birth weight is the leading cause of perinatal and child mortality and contributes to several disabilities among survivors. It commonly results from preterm birth either with intact membranes or following preterm premature rupture of membranes. Most LBW result from being born preterm i.e. before 37 weeks of gestation. A low-birth-weight baby may be healthy even though he or she is small. But a low-birth-weight baby can also have many serious health problems. Proper knowledge of risk factors of low birth weight is important for identifying mothers at risk in order to properly plan and take appropriate actions before or immediately after delivery to prevent these poor outcomes. The most beneficial set of maternal interventions are those that could improve survival chances and health outcomes of preterm infants when preterm birth is inevitable. These interventions are provided to the mother shortly before or during the birth process with the aim of overcoming immediate and future health challenges of the preterm infant, such as lung immaturity, susceptibility to infection, and neurological complications.