Hundreds of babies premature

HUNDREDS of babies were born prematurely at Southport and Ormskirk’s hospitals last year.

According to the latest official figures, there were at least 408 babies born in the borough before 38 weeks in 2015-16 – one in every five births where doctors knew the length of pregnancy.

Of those born in the borough, 45 were delivered at less than 35 weeks.

Premature delivery can lead to complications at birth, such as infections, jaundice and chronic lung disease, as well as more long-term health problems and intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Babies born at 35 and 36 weeks are considered to be late preterm, and while they are less likely to suffer from ill health than those born earlier they are more likely to experience developmental delays than full term babies.

In England, one in every seven babies was born before 38 weeks – 79,719 in total. Of those, 22,368 were very or moderately premature.