Preterm birth: possible causes
Preterm birth affects about 5–18 percent of all babies born worldwide. Lifestyle, health, and family history can all play a role in babies’ gestation period.
Some of the possible risk factors for preterm birth include:
- Lifestyle habits like smoking cigarettes or taking illicit drugs
- Experiencing high-stress life events
- Being pregnant with multiples (twins, triplets, or more)
- Getting pregnant within six months or less of a previous pregnancy
- Having had multiple miscarriages, abortions, or premature births
- Having issues related to your uterus, cervix, or placenta
- Being overweight or underweight before you got pregnant
Physical injury or trauma and some infections can also cause your baby to be born prematurely. But sometimes, there is no known cause for a baby being born prematurely.
What happens if your baby is born at 32 weeks? Let’s take a look at the specific appearance and possible complications for a premature baby born at 32 weeks.