Preemie Watch: Dealing with the Worry Amid the Joy

By Andrea Renskoff

"The way you had imagined it is now a loss," explains Kelly McCord, whose now 9-month-old son was delivered prematurely at just shy of 35 weeks and spent 13 days in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). McCord had no idea when she arrived at her obstetrician's office one Tuesday for a routine prenatal visit that she was already dilated three centimeters and would be sent directly to the hospital.

"I didn't have my bag packed or anything," McCord recalls. "Suddenly you're in the throes of caring for the baby when you thought you had more time to prepare."

McCord's birth experience is not unique.

The March of Dimes estimates that one in eight births in the United States are preterm, defined as delivered at less than 37 weeks' gestation. But the more stunning statistic is that the number of premature births has increased more than 30 percent in the past two decades. And although the vast majority of preterm babies go home healthy, there's very little in the way of scientific findings that explain the dramatic increase in early births. Expectant mothers using alcohol or drugs, or those who smoke, are certainly at higher risk, as are women who are victims of domestic violence. Women in occupations that require them to be on their feet for long periods of time are also more likely to go into early labor.

The exact causes of premature labor are not fully understood. Spontaneous rupture of the membranes from the sac inside the uterus that holds the baby, as well as infections involving the amniotic fluid or fetal membranes, seem to be the most common triggers. Women who've experienced previous preterm labor, such as McCord, are more susceptible, as are those who have uterine or cervical abnormalities or who are pregnant with multiple babies. And the modern world's epidemic, stress, is thought to be a factor.

"Worry, disappointment, fear, guilt are some of the emotions parents are likely to feel," says Dorothy Williams, who has been a hospital liaison with NICU parent support groups for the past 20 years. "There's also excitement, joy - and hope is very important," she adds.

There are a variety of medical options, as well as side effects and risks, to be considered with premature labor.