Also known as preterm labor, premature labor is birth of a baby before the 37th week of pregnancy. If labor occurs very early, the baby may have health problems or even die.
Because of the risks to the baby, who may be born before his or her internal organs (especially the lungs) are mature, medication may be used to delay labor long enough for corticosteroid drugs to be given to help the baby’s lungs mature.
After birth, premature infants are usually nursed in an NICU (neonatal intensive care unit)