Preterm labour: Risk factors and ways to avoid it!

Zee Media Bureau/Salome Phelamei

Being pregnant for the first time can be hard as you'll need to learn a lot things as well as take precautions each passing day – from day one until you are ready for delivery.

One thing that concerns every pregnant woman during pregnancy is 'preterm labour'.

Preterm labour or premature labour occurs when you start getting ready to give birth too early before you reach 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Risk factors

To avoid such unfortunate situation, it's important to know the factors that increase your risk. Some of the common factors include:

• Not getting good prenatal care
• High blood pressure, diabetes, preeclampsia or infections
• Carrying twins or multiple fetuses
• Being overweight or underweight
• Smoking
• Consuming alcohol
• Maternal stress

Prevention

Here are some tips to avoid preterm labour:

• Eat a nutritious diet - fruits, vegetables, healthy sources of protein and dairy, omega-3 fatty acids found in fish.
• Take prenatal vitamins such as folic acid, calcium, iron.
• Take enough fluid – water, juices
• Get early prenatal care as soon as you learn that you are pregnant or going to get pregant.
• Avoid excess weight gain
• Know and understand the risks