What are the signs and symptoms of the premature condition?

The baby's weight at birth can help predict how well the baby will do. Babies whose birth weight is less than 2,500 grams, or about 5.5 pounds, are called low-birth-weight (LBW) infants. LBW babies make up only 7% of births. However, they account for two-thirds of newborn deaths. Babies whose birth weight is less than 1,500 grams, or about 3.25 pounds, are called very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. These babies make up about 1% of births. They account for half of newborn deaths.

One of the many problems associated with being born too early is respiratory distress syndrome. This occurs when the baby's lungs are too underdeveloped to work properly. A baby with immature lungs may have trouble breathing and need a ventilator. Some babies cannot get enough oxygen, even with a ventilator. The ventilator can sometimes cause damage to the lungs. Babies born prematurely can go on to experience lifelong difficulties with breathing.

These babies also have underdeveloped immune systems, leaving them more vulnerable than full term newborns to severe and deadly infections, such as group B streptococcal septicemia. Extremely premature babies usually need to be given antibiotics often and for long periods of time. Some of the antibiotics have long-term side effects.

When babies are born very early, they can have bleeding in their brains, resulting in damage ranging from mild to severe. In addition, many extremely premature babies do not develop physically or mentally at a normal pace as they grow up. It is hard to predict which babies will have developmental delays. Other conditions affecting premature babies occur in the gut, the kidneys, or the liver. Some suffer from irregular levels of sugars and salts in their bloodstream. They often develop anemia, sometimes severe enough to require blood transfusions.