Premature babies in the NICU

Babies born before 37 weeks in the womb are considered premature. Premature babies can be perfectly healthy at birth, but some will have long-term problems that will affect growth and development.

In this section, find out possible causes of premature birth and the signs and stages of premature labour.

Some premature babies may have breathing problems at birth because their lungs are underdeveloped. Read about diagnosis and treatment of breathing problems.

Read about heart conditions that can affect premature babies, including patent ductus arteriosus, and how they are diagnosed and treated.

Necrotizing enterocolits affects the bowels of premature or newborn infants. Find out about causes and treatment.

Premature babies may have specific feeding requirements and conditions that affect the GI tract. Learn about these conditions and their treatments.

Some conditions of prematurity can affect a baby's brain and behaviour. Learn about different conditions that can affect the brain and how they are treated.

There are many other conditions that can affect newborn babies including anemia, retinopathy and osteopenia. Find out about the causes and treatments of these conditions.

The outcome for each premature baby will be different depending on the degree of prematurity and the severity of any complications. Find out more in the following pages.