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Premature infant

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Preterm infant; Preemie

Prevention:

One of the most important steps to preventing prematurity is to receive prenatal care as early as possible in the pregnancy, and to continue such care until the baby is born. Statistics clearly show that early and good prenatal care reduces your chance of premature birth and related deaths.

Premature labor can sometimes be treated or delayed by a medication that blocks uterine contractions. Many times, however, attempts to delay premature labor are not successful.

• Review Date: 12/27/2006
• Reviewed By: Ian Marshall, MD, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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