National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Premature Babies is the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Premature Babies
Also called: Preemies
A premature baby, or preemie, is born before the 37th week of pregnancy. Premature birth occurs in between 8 percent to 10 percent of all pregnancies in the United States. Because they are born too early, preemies weigh much less than full-term babies. They may have health problems because their organs did not have enough time to develop. Preemies need special medical care in a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU. They stay there until their organ systems can work on their own.
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Start Here
- Caring for Your Premature Baby(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
- Primer on Preemies(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
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Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
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For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
- Health Issues of Premature Babies(American Academy of Pediatrics)
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Preterm Labor and Birth(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
- Understanding Your Premature Baby(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
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Latest News
- Fresh Blood as Good as Older Blood for Preemie Transfusions: Study(10/08/2012, HealthDay)
- Late-Preterm Babies Needing ICU Catch Up with Other Preemies(10/05/2012, HealthDay)
- Women Born Preterm May Face Pregnancy Risks(09/24/2012, HealthDay)
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Vaginal Delivery Safe for Head First Births Before 32 Weeks(09/21/2012, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
- More News on Premature Babies
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Nutrition
- Feeding Your Baby in the NICU(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Coping
- Becoming a Parent in the NICU(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Common Parent Reactions to the NICU(American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Grandparents and the NICU(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- In the NICU: Your Family and Friends(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
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Specific Conditions
- Apnea of Prematurity(Nemours Foundation)
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Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Common Conditions Treated in the NICU(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Necrotizing Enterocolitis(Nemours Foundation)
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Patent Ductus Arteriosus(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Periventricular Leukomalacia(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
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Respiratory Distress Syndrome(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)(National Eye Institute)
- Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN)(Nemours Foundation)
- Watching for Complications(American Academy of Pediatrics)
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Related Issues
- About Skin-to-Skin Care (Kangaroo Care)(American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Bringing Baby Home: Preparing Yourself, Your Home, and Your Family(American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Corrected Age for Preemies(American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Cranial Ultrasound/Head Ultrasound(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
- Home After the NICU: Medications(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Medical Equipment at Home(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Overview of Early Intervention(National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities)
- Preemie Milestones(American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Premature Infants: A Later Look(NYU Child Study Center)
- What Is a Neonatologist?(American Academy of Pediatrics)
- When Your Baby's in the NICU(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Videos
- If I Had - A Baby with a Lung Complication(Insidermedicine)
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Financial Issues
- Paying for NICU Care(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Infant, Premature(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Infant, Premature, Diseases(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Infant, Premature
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
- NICU Reference Guide(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
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Directories
- Verification of Certification(American Board of Pediatrics)
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Organizations
- KidsHealth(Nemours Foundation)
- March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
- Also available in Spanish
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National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
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Statistics
- FastStats: Birthweight and Gestation(National Center for Health Statistics)
- Percentage of Infants Born at a Low Birth Weight(Dept. of Health and Human Services)
- PeriStats: Perinatal Statistics(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
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Patient Handouts
- Apnea of prematurity
- Also available in Spanish
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia
- Also available in Spanish
- Intraventricular hemorrhage of the newborn
- Also available in Spanish
- Necrotizing enterocolitis
- Also available in Spanish
- Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome
- Also available in Spanish
- Neonatal weight gain and nutrition
- Also available in Spanish
- Osteopenia - premature infants
- Also available in Spanish
- Premature infant
- Also available in Spanish
- Preterm labor
- Also available in Spanish
- Retinopathy of prematurity
- Also available in Spanish
- Transient tachypnea - newborn
- Also available in Spanish
- Visiting your baby in the NICU
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
