World Prematurity Day 2024

Around 53,000 babies are born prematurely each year in the UK - that's 1 in 13 births. World Prematurity Day exists to raise awareness of premature birth and the health impact it can have on both parents and their premature baby.

What is premature birth?

Premature (or preterm) birth is when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. It affects around 1 in 13 pregnancies, and is often unexpected. 

When a baby is born too soon, they may need special care because they are not quite ready for life outside the womb.

This means some premature babies may have some medical problems. The earlier a baby is born, the more vulnerable they are.

While most premature babies survive, premature birth is the leading cause of death in children under 5.

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Download our app

For you and your premature baby, My Prem Baby is a free app from Tommy’s. It's a premature baby tracker for parents, from pregnancy to after the birth, with information from the Tommy's community of experts, midwives and parents.