Born Too Soon

Born too soon: the global action report on preterm birth

Book cover image Born too soon: the global action report on preterm birth provides the first-ever national, regional and global estimates of preterm birth. The report shows the extent to which preterm birth is on the rise in most countries, and is now the second leading cause of death globally for children under five, after pneumonia.

Addressing preterm birth is now an urgent priority for reaching Millennium Development Goal 4, calling for the reduction of child deaths by two-thirds by 2015. This report shows that rapid change is possible and identifies priority actions for everyone.

This inspiring report is a joint effort of almost 50 international, regional and national organizations, led by the March of Dimes, The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, Save the Children and the World Health Organization in support of the Every Woman Every Child effort, led by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Born too soon proposes actions for policy, programs and research by all partners – from governments to NGOs to the business community -- that if acted upon, will substantially reduce the toll of preterm birth, especially in high-burden countries.

The report contains a foreword by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and is accompanied by more than 30 new and expanded commitments to prevention and care of preterm birth, joining more than 200 existing commitments on everywomaneverychild.org.

Download pdf 5.83MB 126 pages - 2012 - English
Authors: World Health Organization; March of Dimes; The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health; Save the Children

Resources:

15 Million babies born too soon - WHO
Preterm Birth - Healthy Newborn Network
Born Too Soon: Why Preterm Births Matter - Impatient Optimists
Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth Reports - May 3, 2012
Born Too Soon: Kangaroo Mother Care Saves Preterm Babies - May 2, 2012
Arrivés trop tôt : rapport des efforts mondiaux portant sur les naissances prématurées Reports - May 2, 2012
15 Million Babies Born Too Soon Update - May 2, 2012
Nacidos Demasiado Pronto: Informe de Acción Global sobre Nacimientos Prematuros Reports - May 2, 2012
U.S. Lags in Global Measure of Premature Births
Born Too Soon Country Data and Rankings for Preterm Birth Statistics - May 2, 2012
Born Too Soon Wall Chart of Preterm Birth by Country Statistics - May 2, 2012
Report Born Too Soon Executive Summary Reports May 2, 2012
Photo of the Week: Born Too Soon Blog Post May 1, 2012
Enhanced efforts can reduce infant mortality rate: Experts Newborn News April 27, 2012
D.C. infant mortality rate at historic low Newborn News April 26, 2012
Strengthening Neo-Natal Services Newborn News April 24, 2012
Obesity and Extreme Slimness Cause Risks in Pregnancy Newborn News April 19, 2012
Babalung Neonatal Monitor Could Save Preemies in Developing Countries April 17, 2012 Five bioengineering students from Rice University have designed a device that could potentially save six million newborn lives.
A "Kangaroo Care Champion" in Brazil Blog Post March 20, 2012
Qatar: Study on Preterm Babies Newborn News March 9, 2012
Preterm and low birth-weight infants 'sign of future stillbirth risk' Newborn News February 28, 2012
Kangaroo Mother Care Saving Newborn Lives in Tanzania February 21, 2012 Video from UNICEF Tanzania about Kangaroo Mother Care in Temeke District.
USA: HHS launches Strong Start initiative to increase healthy deliveries and reduce preterm births Newborn News February 9, 2012
India: State has no data on premature births Newborn News February 2, 2012
Connecting Across Borders to Improve Kangaroo Mother Care Blog Post January 27, 2012
Kangaroo Foundation to Receive 2012 Carlos Slim Award Blog Post January 23, 2012
My daughter’s story: Fighting prematurity, advancing technology for newborns Blog Post January 3, 2012
Preventing Preterm Birth Is Long Overdue Blog Post November 9, 2011
A Father's Commitment to "Kangaroo Care" Blog Post November 8, 2011
A baby step forward Blog Post November 7, 2011
Quest to End Premature Births Worldwide Takes Momentous Step Forward Newborn News November 7, 2011
Study shows newborn deaths higher in US than in Malaysia and Poland Newborn News August 30, 2011
Higher Mortality for Infants Newborn News August 15, 2011
Direct breast-feeding in the neonatal intensive care unit: is it important? Articles August 4, 2011
Survival and risk factors for neonatal mortality in a cohort of very low birth weight infants in the southern region of São Paulo city, Brazil Articles August 2, 2011
Educate Mothers on Newborn Health Care Newborn News July 19, 2011
UK's Stacey Solomon visits Malawi July 11, 2011
Neonatal outcomes among multiple births less than or equal to 32 weeks gestational age: Does mode of conception have an impact? A Cohort Study Articles June 14, 2011
Getting mothers everywhere the gift they want most Blog Post May 3, 2011
El Proyecto de Mejoramiento de la Atención en Salud de USAID, apoya al hospital Bertha Calderón, en la implementación de la estrategia “Madre Canguro” Briefs March 24, 2011
Top 30 medicines to save mothers and children Newborn News March 22, 2011
AlertNet’s top 20 big ideas that don’t cost the earth Newborn News anuary 11, 2011
Setting Implementation Research Priorities to Reduce Preterm Births and Stillbirths at the Community Level Articles January 4, 2011
Prematurity & Stillbirth- Foundation for Innovative Solutions and Improved Outcomes January 1, 2011 Dr. Craig Rubens, co-founder and executive director of The Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS), reflects on the problem of stillbirth and preterm birth complications.
Prematurity & Stillbirth - Foundation for Innovative Solutions and Improved Outcomes December 31, 2010 Ann Starrs, co-founder and president of Family Care International, talks about challenges in addressing stillbirth at the community level, as well as in raising awareness on these issue in the global agenda.
Embrace Infant Warmer Could Save Thousands Newborn News December 17, 2010
Premature birth affects us all – and healthy babies are worth the wait Blog Post November 19, 2010
Leaders Speak At Partnership for Maternal, Newborn And Child Health Conference Newborn News November 15, 2010
Iron supplements can reduce infant mortality: study Newborn News November 10, 2010
Measuring newborn foot length: a small step forward? Blog Post November 4, 2010
Neonatal Nursing in Ghana: International Neonatal Nursing Excellence Award October 25, 2010 Nurse Regina Obeng is the recipient of the first International Neonatal Nursing Excellence Award. Watch her inspiring story.
Neonatal Nursing in India: International Neonatal Nursing Excellence Award October 25, 2010 Nurse Rekha Samant from Mumbai, India is a recipient of the first-ever International Neonatal Nursing Excellence Award. Watch her story.
Neonatal Nurses: Recognizing excellence at the International Conference of Neonatal Nursing Blog Post October 22, 2010
Measuring newborn foot length to identify small babies in need of extra care: a cross sectional hospital based study with community follow-up in Tanzania Articles October 19, 2010
'Miracle mum' brings premature baby son back to life with two hours of loving cuddles after doctors pronounce him dead Newborn News August 27, 2010
Community Health Volunteers Saving Lives: Living Proof in Nepal August 9, 2010 Watch the Living Proof video showcasing Female Community Health Volunteers saving lives in Nepal
Plaidoyer pour les Soins Mères Kangourou au Mali Briefs June 30, 2010
Advocating for Kangaroo Mother Care in Mali Briefs June 4, 2010
It’s a fact: Kangaroo Mother Care reduces neonatal mortality Blog Post May 27, 2010
Antibiotics for pre-term pre-labour rupture of membranes: prevention of neonatal deaths due to complications of pre-term birth and infection Articles April 12, 2010
‘Kangaroo mother care’ to prevent neonatal deaths due to preterm birth complications Articles April 1, 2010
Antenatal steroids in preterm labour for the prevention of neonatal deaths due to complications of preterm birth Articles April 1, 2010
26th Annual International Pediatric Association Congress of Pediatrics Conference April 1, 2010
Child Mortality Highlights China's Urban-Rural Divide Newborn News March 31, 2010
International PREterm BIrth Collaborative (PREBIC) Meeting March 31, 2010
Dental care or die? Newborn News March 18, 2010
Global Report on Preterm Birth & Stillbirth: Report Brief Briefs February 23, 2010
7th International Conference of Neonatal Nursing Conference February 4, 2010
Kangaroo Mother Care: Living Proof in Malawi January 30, 2010 A very simple solution is helping to reduce the number of pre-term babies in Malawi who die due to low birth weight.
Invisible Lives: Newborn Health in Nepal and Malawi - Short version January 26, 2010
Stopping a silent tragedy: reducing neonatal deaths in the Philippines Newborn News December 16, 2009
Newborn survival in low resource settings—are we delivering? Articles September 4, 2009
National Report: Formative Research on Neonatal Sepsis, Low Birth Weight and Birth Asphyxia (Pakistan) Reports January 1, 2009
Lessons Learned from the Introduction and Expansion of Kangaroo Mother Care Services in Selected Developing Countries Briefs January 1, 2007
Situation Analysis of Newborn Health and Interventions in Vietnam: Towards the Development of a Newborn Health Action Plan Reports January 1, 2006
Care of the Newborn Training Guide Tools/Guidelines January 1, 2005
Soins aux Nouveaux-Nés: Manuel de Référence Briefs January 1, 2004
Cuidados ao Recém-Nascido: Manual de Consulta Tools/Guidelines January 1, 2004
Care of the Newborn Reference Manual Tools/Guidelines January 1, 2004