It's World Prematurity Day Today!

As today is World Prematurity day I thought I would leave you all with some facts about preterm birth and why we have a day to recognise prematurity Globally, every year more than 15 million babies are born prematurely which makes it the world’s leading cause of newborn deaths!!In Australia, more than 44,000 babies are born premature or sick with up to 25,000 born premature. This is more than 50% of these newborns requiring specialised hospital care. Even with the very best and high standards of care, one third of all deaths in the first year of life is caused by prematurity. It is the single highest cause of death in childhood (0-16 years), 30% higher than the second highest cause – poisoning and injury. Prematurity also has a significant association with stillbirth.Prematurity is the major cause of disability in children with higher rates of cerebral palsy.