Why were my babies too early? more and more babies are being born before the full 39-week term

[Guest guest]

and Violet Shiells

foto: Violet was born 10 weeks premature

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'Why were my babies too early?'

By Jane Elliott

Health reporter, BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7119330.stm

Shiells has two healthy little girls - but she knows it could

so easily have been a different story.

For Chloe, now six, was born nine weeks prematurely and her little

sister Violet was born 10 weeks early.

Experts are currently studying why women like give birth so early.

Around 43,000 babies are born prematurely in the UK every year, which is

a major cause of infant death.

Health implications

Studies have shown that nearly half of extremely premature babies who

survive develop a disability or learning difficulty.

Another third develop mild impairments, such as the need to wear glasses

by the time they reach six years old - double the average rate.

At present doctors have no idea why one in three premature babies are

born early - and the problem is becoming more pressing as more and more

babies are being born before the full 39-week term.

While both Chloe and Violet are developing well, their mother says that

until they have some definitive answers she will not be risking a third

pregnancy.

" My husband would like another one, " she said.

" And if they knew what caused the early labour and if they could

guarantee it wouldn't happen again, then I would think about it.

" But because they can't give me any guarantees, it has put me off having

any more. It is just so stressful. "

New study

During her second pregnancy, was invited to join a study at

King's College, London, and St ' Hospital, to examine the role of

infection in triggering pre-term labour.

The women were seen every fortnight throughout their pregnancy until

their cervix shortened, preparing for labour. At this point they were

then seen weekly.

" Everything was fine until I was 22 weeks pregnant, " said .

" Then my cervix shortened and they said it had gone to the length it

goes to when you go into labour.

" So from 22 weeks I was told to rest, which I tried to do, but having a

six-year-old at home meant that was it hard.

" Then at 25 weeks I went into hospital for bed rest and my cervix had

shortened even more. They did a test of my fluid in the vagina and it

said I tested positive for going into labour within the next two weeks.

" So they put me onto bed rest in hospital. At 27.5 weeks I went home,

but then at 30 weeks I went into spontaneous labour. "

Luckily Violet was well. She had been given steroids before her birth to

strengthen her lungs and just needed a bit of oxygen and antibiotics

after her birth.

" She was only in hospital a month, " said . " She is six months

now and very small for her age, but doing everything she should be. "

Hope for answers

Dr Tribe, who is co-ordinating and overseeing the Action Medical

Research-funded study attended by , is hopeful it will provide

some explanation for why some women seem particularly vulnerable to

premature delivery.

It is estimated that 30% of women who have a pre-term labour, will go on

to repeat the experience.

" We know a proportion of pre-term labour is linked to infection and we

are trying to find out where it comes from and how it gets to the

uterus, " said Dr Tribe.

" One idea is that there is some sort of infection in your vagina that

can shorten your cervix by triggering changes and as a result the

infection goes into your uterine cavity.

" But we don't know the precise order of events. In some women the cervix

may suddenly shorten and allow bacteria to enter the womb.

" Or it might be that infection and inflammation in the vaginal tract

cause the cervix to shorten in the first place, " she said.

" We can't predict who is going to have a pre-term labour. All we can use

is past history. "

Vital research

Dr Yolande Harley from Action Medical Research said studies like this

could help save lives and prevent disabilities.

" Premature birth is the single biggest cause of infant death in the UK

every year, " she said.

" Unfortunately doctors don't know what causes babies to be born too soon

and there are only limited ways of slowing labour once it starts.

" What is known, though, is that babies stand a better chance of survival

and less chance of serious long term complications if they stay in the

womb for as long as possible. "

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