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Premature Labor Treatment

Premature labor is defined as any labor that starts before week 37 of pregnancy. With any preterm birth, the baby has a much higher risk of complications, including death. Most babies who are born prematurely spend at least some amount of time in a hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Treating premature delivery can help give your baby a good start in life.

  1. Recognition

    • It's critical for a pregnant woman to recognize that she is having symptoms of preterm labor. If the condition is not caught soon enough, medical personnel will have a tougher time stopping the labor. Symptoms of preterm labor include contractions that occur more often than every 10 minutes, abdominal cramping, increased vaginal discharge, pressure in the pelvic region and backaches. All symptoms do not have to be present for premature labor to be under way; notify your doctor if any of these symptoms develop before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

    Drugs

    • Doctors often give tocolytic drugs to pregnant women who experience preterm labor. The most commonly used is magnesium sulfate. These drugs are given orally, rectally or intravenously to stop contractions. Tocolytic drugs typically delay labor only by up to a week, but that can buy time for the doctor to administer steroids to the fetus to speed development or to transfer the woman to a medical facility that is better equipped to handle premature infants.

    Bed Rest

    • At the first signs of premature labor, many doctors recommend bed rest to slow down the process. Depending on the severity of symptoms and the woman's medical history, this could be complete bed rest or a partial restriction of activity. Some women on strict bed rest can be on their feet for only an hour a day until after delivery.

    Hospitalization

    • Depending on the woman's medical history, a doctor might recommend hospitalization versus bed rest at home. This is usually the case if the woman and fetus will require constant monitoring during the pregnancy. Bed rest is frustrating to most women, with hospitalization even more so, as she is out of her normal environment for an extended period of time.

    Considerations

    • If a woman experiences preterm labor symptoms before week 37 of pregnancy, her doctor or midwife might tell her to lie on her left side and drink several glasses of water. Lying on the left side relieves pressure placed on the vena cava, a major artery on the right side of the body. Drinking several glasses of water can ensure that contractions or other abdominal pain is not due to dehydration. If symptoms do not subside in an hour, call the doctor again and be prepared to go to the office or the hospital.

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