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Symptoms

By Mayo Clinic staff

A premature birth means that your baby hasn't had the usual amount of time to develop in the womb before needing to adapt to life outside the womb.

The signs that a baby's gestation has been cut short include:

  • Small size, with a disproportionately large head
  • Sharper-looking, less rounded features than a full-term baby's features
  • Thin, transparent, fragile-looking skin
  • Fine hair (lanugo) covering much of the body
  • Low body temperature, especially immediately after birth in the delivery room
  • Labored breathing or respiratory distress
  • Lack of reflexes for sucking and swallowing, leading to feeding difficulties

The following table shows the median weight, length and head circumference of premature babies at different gestational ages.

Weight, length and head circumference by gestational age
Gestational ageWeight, in pounds (kilograms)Length, in inches (centimeters)Head circumference, in inches (centimeters)
40 weeks 7.9 (3.6 kg) 20 (51 cm) 14 (35.5 cm)
35 weeks 5.6 (2.5 kg) 18.1 (46 cm) 12.6 (32 cm)
32 weeks 4.2 (1.9 kg) 16.9 (43 cm) 11.8 (30 cm)
28 weeks 2.5 (1.15 kg) 15 (38 cm) 10.2 (26 cm)
24 weeks 1.4 (0.65 kg) 12.6 (32 cm) 8.7 (22 cm)

Premature babies can quickly develop serious complications, such as infection in the bloodstream (sepsis), respiratory distress syndrome and bleeding in the brain.

When to see a doctor
You'll be seeing members of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) often. Most NICUs have work rounds at a similar time each day, which parents may join. Don't hesitate to ask questions even when there's not a regularly scheduled meeting, especially if your baby seems listless, has poor color or refuses the bottle or breast after trouble-free feedings.

Risk factors Definition
References
  1. Lockwood CJ. Overview of preterm labor and delivery. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 7, 2011.
  2. Carlo WA. The high-risk infant. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1608/0.html. Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.
  3. Robinson JN, et al. Risk factors for preterm labor and delivery. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 7, 2011.
  4. Preterm labor. March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/188_1080.asp. Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.
  5. Mandy GT. Short-term complications of the premature infant. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 29, 2011.
  6. Preterm labor. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/faq/faq087.cfm. Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.
  7. Torpy JM, et al. Premature infants. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2009;301:2290.
  8. Preterm birth. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/MaternalInfantHealth/PretermBirth.htm. Accessed Nov. 23, 2011.
  9. Hovi P, et al. Glucose regulation in young adults with very low birth weight. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;356:2053.
  10. Stephens BE, et al. Neurodevelopmental outcome of the premature infant. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2009;56:631.
  11. Barfield WD, et al. Late preterm infants. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 18, 2011.
  12. Rotteveel J, et al. Infant and childhood growth patterns, insulin sensitivity, and blood pressure in prematurely born young adults. Pediatrics. 2008;122:313.
  13. Kingma PS. Care of the high-risk neonate. In: Bope ET, et al. Conn's Current Therapy. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-0986-5..C2009-0-38984-9--TOP&isbn=978-1-4377-0986-5&about=true&uniqId=236797353-5. Accessed Nov. 10, 2011.
  14. Matevosyan NR. Periodontal disease and perinatal outcomes. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2011;283:675.
  15. Long CM, et al. Discharge planning for the high-risk newborn requiring intensive care. In: McInerny T, et al. American Academy of Pediatrics Textbook of Pediatric Care. Elk Grove Village, Ill.: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2009:709.
  16. In the NICU: Becoming an informed parent. March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/printableArticles/inthenicu_informed.html. Accessed Nov. 14, 2011.
  17. In the NICU: Becoming a parent in the NICU. March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/baby/inthenicu_confidence.html. Accessed Nov. 14, 2011.
  18. Zaichkin J, et al. A different beginning. In: Zaichkin J. Newborn Intensive Care: What Every Parent Needs to Know. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Sheridan Books; 2009:25.
  19. Martin JA, et al. Births: Final data for 2006. National Vital Statistics Reports. 2009;57:1.
  20. Fenton TR. A new growth chart for preterm babies: Babson and Benda's chart updated with recent data and a new format. BMC Pediatrics. 2003;3:13. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2431/3/13. Accessed Dec. 5, 2011.
  21. Stewart J. Care of the neonatal intensive care unit graduate. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 30, 2011.
  22. Weiner GM. Problems associated with premature birth. Working with the team. In: Zaichkin J. Newborn Intensive Care: What Every Parent Needs to Know. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Sheridan Books; 2009:223.
  23. Thilo EH, et al. The newborn infant. In: Hay WW, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Pediatrics. 20th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=6576305. Accessed Dec. 1, 2011.
  24. Mandy GT. Long-term complications of the premature infant. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 30, 2011.
  25. Johnson YR. Long-term neurodevelopmental outcome of premature infants. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 1, 2011.
  26. Loren DJ. NICU players: Working with the team. In: Zaichkin J. Newborn Intensive Care: What Every Parent Needs to Know. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Sheridan Books; 2009:51.
  27. Stewart J. Discharge planning for high-risk newborns. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 5, 2011.
  28. Brodsky D, et al. Primary Care of the Premature Infant. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:1.
  29. Schanler RJ. Nutritional composition of human milk and preterm formula for the premature infant. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 5, 2011.
DS00137 Dec. 29, 2011

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