Around the world, 15 million babies are born prematurely each year. That means one out of every 10 babies born is premature.

Preterm babies often have long-term health problems, including cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, chronic lung disease, blindness and hearing loss. Premature birth is also the leading cause of death for children under age five.

World Prematurity Day, celebrated today, raises awareness of this very serious health crisis. Since 2011, this observance has been held on Nov. 17 of each year. In addition to general awareness, the goal is to educate and inform the public about preterm birth and ways to provide support to family members of preemies. It is also a day to celebrate all preterm babies and their families.

Premature birth is defined as birth that occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy. It can happen to any pregnant woman. There is no one cause of prematurity. Unfortunately, some things directly cause early labor and birth. Other issues may make the mother (or baby) sick and require an early delivery. Sometimes, the exact cause for premature birth is unknown. This can be true even though the mother did “everything right” during her pregnancy.

There are, however, several risk factors for the mother that can make premature birth more likely. These risks include:

• Having had a previous preterm labor or birth.
• Carrying twins, triplets or more babies at one time.
• Having an abnormal cervix or uterus.
• Being younger than 20 or older than 35.
• Being African-American.
• Having long-term health problems such as heart disease or kidney disease.
• Smoking or using illegal drugs such as cocaine.

Even though premature birth cannot always be prevented, there are ways that pregnant mothers can help reduce the risk of preterm labor. The first and most important prevention method is to get good prenatal care. Go to your first prenatal checkup as soon as you think you are pregnant. Then, continue to go to all prenatal visits during your entire pregnancy. Here are some more ways that you can help reduce your risk of preterm birth:

• If you smoke, quit now! And, of course, don’t drink alcohol or use drugs.
• Talk to your health care provider about your weight to be sure you are at the right weight before and during pregnancy.
• Get treated for any chronic health conditions and protect yourself from infections.
• Reduce your stress, eat healthy foods and stay active.