Heading Title: Premature Babies Topic: Pre-term Pregnancies Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about premature babies and

the affects. Introduction Attention Material: How many of you know someone who was born premature or had a premature baby? According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 12.8% of babies in the United States are born premature or what is also called a preterm. That is about 500,000 babies a year.(Your Premature ). Within those babies, 84% are born between 32 and 36 weeks, 10% are born between 28 and 31 weeks, and 6% are born less than 28 weeks. My current manager, Gina, is part of the 6% that are born before 28 weeks. She was born at 24 week and weighed one pound and had different medical complications. Thesis Statement: Pre-term pregnancies have different stages, which can be caused by many things that lead to different complications. Preview: We will cover the different stages of pre-term pregnancy, causes of pre-term pregnancy, and lastly medical complications the baby might face. [Transition: First, lets talk about the stages of pre-term pregnancy.] Body I. There are two stages of preterm, Late Pre-term and before Late-Preterm. A. Late Pre-term babies are born between 32 to 36 weeks gestation. 1. These babies usually look like a small version of a full term baby. They weigh about 3 to 8 pounds. 2. Babies born at this time require little to no special care. More than 98% survive. (The Facts) 3. Some may require tube-feeding for a short period of time, but most of them are unlikely to develop serious disabilities. B. Babies who are born before late pre-term have higher risk of health problems. These babies are born between 28 to 31 weeks or even less than 28 weeks. 1. Babies who are born between 28 to 31 weeks usually weigh about 2 to 5 pounds and have a 90 to 95% rate of survival. Most of them require treatment with oxygen, and other medical assistance to help them breathe. 2. At this time, these babies are able to move , although a bit jerky, grasp your finger and cry. 3. On the other hand, some babies born before 28 weeks cannot cry yet and make very little movement. Their skin is usually wrinkled and very thin that you could see the blood vessels underneath (The Facts ). 4. Eyes will be closed and have no eyelashes. Although health risk are high for these babies, they have a 80 to 87% survival rate and about 20-40% develop serious disabilities.

[Transition: Now that I have mentioned the stages, lets talk about the causes for pre-term pregnancies] II. Although there isnt an actual main cause for preterm babies, it can be triggered by many things. A. One of the causes is Premature Rupture of Membranes, PROM. 1. PROM is when the sac inside the uterus that holds the baby, breaks too soon. (Premature Rupture). 2. According to the website Childrens Hospital of Pittsburg, PROM can be caused by a natural weakening of the membranes or from the force of contractions. 3. Researches also have suggested that it can be triggered by the bodys natural responses to infections have involve amniotic fluid and fetal membranes. B. There are also many other risk factors that can cause pre term pregnancies. 1. Woman who have had previous pre-terms, pregnant with twins or triplets, or have uterine or cervical problems have higher risk for pre-term birth. 2. Women who live a certain lifestyle can affect the pregnancy term as well. 3. For example, woman who have no prenatal care, smoking, drinking, use of illegal drugs, and experience domestic violence of some sort, have high risk (The Facts).

[Transition: Furthermore, Premature babies can develop severe medical complications.] III. Severe medical complications can depend on what week the baby is born. A. One of the most common medical problems that can occur is Respiratory Distress Syndrome. 1. About 24,000 babies a year get this syndrome. It usually occurs to babies who were born before the 34th week. 2. According to the American Pregnancy Association, Pre-terms with RDS lack a protein that is called surfactant that keeps small air sac in their lungs from collapsing. 3. Medical assistance is given to prevent their lungs from expanding. For example, continuous positive airway pressure known as CPAP, delivers pressurized air to the babys lungs. It is delivered through small tubes in the babys nose or through a tube that has been inserted into his or her windpipe. (Premature Birth) B. Another of the many medical complications is Patent Ductus Arteriosus, PDA. 1. PDA is when the large artery lets the blood by pass the lungs because the fetus get its oxygen through the placenta. 2. Usually the artery closes after birth, but in premature babies, it does not close properly. This can lead to heart failure and lack of oxygen to the organs. (The Facts) 3. Babies who suffer from this are treated with drugs to help close the artery, although sometimes surgery may be needed. [Transition: In conclusion, having a pre-term birth could be very serious]

Conclusion Concluding Remarks: My manager that I mentioned earlier had to have an open heart surgery at 10 days old and had about 36 blood transfusions. Due to the blood transfusions, she got Hepatitis C, but didnt find out until she was 8 years old (Patello). As you can see, different problems could develop after and throughout the babys life. Although researchers still cannot find a specific reason for pre-term births, there are ways to reduce your risk. Visiting health care centers before and during pregnancy, avoiding alcohol, smoking, and any illegal drugs, could all be ways to reduce your risk. It is always important to take care of you or your partner during a pregnancy to have safe and healthy baby. Works Consulted Patello, Gina. Personal Interview. 1 Oct. 2011. Premature Birth Complications. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/complicationspremature.htm Premature Labor. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/prematurelabor.html Premature Rupture of Membranes (PROM)/ Preterm Premature Rupture of Membrane. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.chp.edu/CHP/P02496 The Facts About Preterm Birth. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cerebralpalsy.org/cerebralpalsy-causes/premature-birth/preterm-birth-facts/ Your Premature Baby. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.marchofdimes.com/baby/premature_indepth.html