Premature babies
Most pregnancies last 40 weeks but sometimes, babies are born earlier than expected. A baby is considered premature or preterm if they are born before the 37th week of pregnancy.
Many premature babies are born between 32 and 36 weeks – this is called moderately preterm or late preterm. However, some babies can be born before 32 weeks which is considered very or extremely premature.
The more premature babies are, the less developed they will be at birth. This can mean they’ll need more medical support for their breathing, hearts, tummies, bowels, feeding and temperature control.
There is no known cause for roughly half of all premature births. However, factors including a multiple pregnancy (twins or more), mothers’ age and smoking can increase the likelihood of prematurity.
Most very premature babies survive but many will have developmental problems.
Who does it affect?
Who does it affect?
- Almost one in 10 babies, about 26,000, are born prematurely every year in Australia.
- Roughly 5,000 of these babies are born very early before 32 weeks.
- Very premature babies are three times more likely to develop disorders such as autism, ADHD or anxiety and over half will have a developmental impairment.
- Twins are 65 per cent more likely to be born premature and other multiples are 98 per cent more likely to be born preterm than singleton babies.
Our premature baby research
Our premature baby research
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Victorian Infant Brain Study (VIBeS) groups conduct some of the world’s largest brain imaging and developmental studies that observe preterm children long-term. These enable us to understand factors and processes that contribute to the developmental problems many of these children experience. Based on this, we’ve created early intervention programs that aim to prevent or minimise developmental problems in preterm children.
Several of these studies have improved our understanding of how very preterm children develop and how this relates to their learning, memory and behaviour. Interventions including psychologist and physiotherapist home visits have led to fewer behavioural problems, better parental mental health and socially disadvantaged adolescents having better motor outcomes (ability to perform actions).
VIBeS20 is now reviewing participants aged 20 and comparing those born very preterm to those born full-term. This allows us to research the effects of premature birth by studying brain development, thinking skills including memory, attention and communication, mental health, physical health including heart health and certain genes.
Our Neonatal research group is also striving to improve outcomes for premature newborns by working to generate new knowledge that helps lungs tackle breathing complications.
A treatment we helped pioneer is reducing the risk of premature babies developing the lung disease bronchopulmonary dysplasia. We’re now examining the treatment’s impact on the babies’ first two years of life.
Impacts of our research
Impacts of our research
- The Victorian Infant Brain Study found MRI brain scans predicted long-term outcomes in very premature babies better than birth weight, prematurity, lung injury severity and time in hospital.
- The preterm birth research showed parenting styles at age two predict how well the child is developing and how well they will do at school.
- Our studies create opportunities for preventing premature birth. Research showed for the first time that men with persistent mental health problems during adolescence and young adulthood are more likely to have premature infants. Additionally, teens who often use cannabis are more likely to have premature babies later.
- With Life’s Little Treasures Foundation, we launched our Prematurity Roadmap webinars covering common conditions in preterm babies, tips and research.
- We found caffeine significantly improves very premature babies’ breathing ability at 11 years of age and probiotics given after birth prevent a potentially fatal bowel condition. This has had a huge impact on how preterm newborns are cared for, with probiotics now given nationwide in neonatal intensive care.
- Our studies have revealed higher rates of anxiety, ADHD and autism, poorer language and delayed educational and behavioural outcomes by school-age in preterm babies. This highlights the need for early intervention and prevention.
Our vision
Our vision
Our goals are to predict the developmental outcomes for very premature babies and find ways to improve these outcomes and long-term quality of life for these children. We want to make it possible for premature babies to lead happy and healthy lives.
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