The global theme for World Prematurity Day 2021 is: Zero Separation: Act Now! Keep parents and premature babies together, that is, allow the mother to be able to stay hospitalized to accompany the premature child at all times and that the father also have free access.

November is considered the international awareness month for prematurity, being recognized worldwide as “Purple November” – the color symbolizes sensitivity and individuality, characteristics that are very peculiar to premature babies.

The date aims to warn about the growing number of premature births, how to prevent them and inform about the consequences of early birth for the baby, his family and society.

World Prematurity Day has been celebrated on November 17 since 2008 and has become an intercontinental movement in which countless individuals and organizations from over 100 countries join forces with activities, special events and commit to action to help address the issue. premature birth and improve the situation of babies and their families. This year, the focus of the campaign is zero separation between mother and premature baby, that is, allowing the mother to be able to stay hospitalized to accompany her premature child at all times and for the father to also have free access.

It is necessary to draw the attention of the population, government officials, public managers, celebrities and influencers to the importance of the topic, reflect on the quality of care offered to premature infants and their families, and call for public policies for prevention, humanization of care and for appropriate and equitable treatments.

The problem of prematurity affects 15 million children every year around the world: 1 in 10 babies is born premature. And that number continues to increase, despite the fact that the total number of births is gradually decreasing. This means that there is a significant increase in vulnerable newborns each year, as well as the number of so-called “ex-premature babies” is increasing.

As these children grow, they are at greater risk for learning and behavioral problems, motor impairments, chronic respiratory infections, and cardiovascular disease or diabetes compared to full-term babies.

Despite the high number of premature births and the resulting risks, the majority of the population is not aware that it is often possible to prevent premature birth and its consequences for the health of the baby.

In Brazil, 340,000 babies are born premature every year, equivalent to 931 babies per day or 6 premature babies every 10 minutes. More than 12% of births in the country take place before gestation reaches 37 weeks, twice the rate in European countries.

Premature babies are those born before 37 weeks of gestation, whose full duration is between 37 and 42 weeks, or 9 months.

They can be divided into “extreme premature babies”, those who came into the world before 28 weeks and are more at risk of life than babies born some time later, as they have a very fragile state of health.

Preterm infants considered “intermediate”, who are born between 28 and 34 weeks and constitute the majority of preterm infants.

And the so-called “late premature babies”, which are born between 34 and 37 weeks. This is a group that has increased significantly in Brazil in recent years and is a concern in terms of public health.

The more premature the baby, the more immature its organs and the greater the risk of complications, especially those born before 34 weeks of gestation.

The difficulty of caring for the premature is not only in the fragility of the organs, but mainly of the brain. Low weight, considered below 1500g, is also a factor of great concern, as it is a great challenge to achieve nutritional recovery during the first weeks of this baby's life.

However, due to the advancement of technology and assistance provided in Neonatal Intensive Care Units, the survival of these babies has increased greatly in recent decades.

Late diagnosis of pregnancy or the identification, also late, or inadequate treatment of diseases that bring harm to the health of the mother or fetus, can be considered as risks for an early birth.

Preterm birth, depending on when it occurs, can be a risky situation for both the baby and the pregnant woman. The main complications in pregnancy that can lead to prematurity are:

– Infections;
– Cervical insufficiency (opening of the cervix);
– Short cervix;
– Previous premature births;
– premature rupture of the bag;
– Smoking;
– Fibroids;
– Multiple pregnancy;
– placental abruption;
- Gestational diabetes;
– Preeclampsia (increased blood pressure in pregnancy);
– Clinical changes in the pregnant woman or fetus that require interruption before the expected time.

The prevention of prematurity begins even before pregnancy, with adequate family planning, followed by prenatal care, which seeks to ensure the development of pregnancy, allowing the delivery of a healthy newborn, without impact on maternal health, including addressing psychosocial aspects and educational and preventive activities.

Purple was chosen because it symbolizes sensitivity and individuality, characteristics that are very peculiar to premature babies. Furthermore, purple also stands for transmutation and change, that is, the art of transforming something into another form or substance, just like in the development of a premature baby.

Source: Virtual Health Library – Ministry of Health.

Image: Hospital Foundation of the State of Minas Gerais (Fhemig)