For us to sit down, late premature babies are understood as those born between the 34th and 36th week of gestation. From week 37 there is already talk of a baby born at term.
Although it may seem little, a difference of two or three weeks that the baby remains inside the uterus is a great determinant for their chances of survival. It is that every day that the baby passes inside the mother's womb is very important for its development.
An investigation by an American team found that late premature babies are six times more likely to die in the first week of life than those whose pregnancy comes to an end.
They also pointed out that these babies born a few weeks before, which represent the majority of premature babies, have three times the risk of death before their first year.
The doctors explained what are the most frequent problems in those children born between weeks 34-35 or 36. They are at greater risk of suffering certain complications that term-born children do not suffer such as hyaline membrane disease, the syndrome of respiratory distress, feeding difficulties, hypothermia and jaundice.
As we have said many times, a rigorous control is very important throughout the pregnancy, especially during the final stretch in which we usually have a weekly review to monitor the baby's condition.
It is essential to have a healthy pregnancy, and I do not speak only of feeding, to ensure that within what is in our hands, the gestation of the baby comes to term because every day that passes counts.
