Prematurity Awareness Month is observed every November, with World Prematurity Day on 17 November, to raise awareness of preterm birth and the concerns of preterm babies and their families worldwide. An estimated 15 million babies around the world are born premature each year and more than one million of them do not survive their early birth.

Our review groups Cochrane Neonatal and Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth prepare and disseminate evidence-based, regularly updated systematic reviews. The scope of Cochrane Neonatal work covers all randomized controlled trials of interventions involving the baby during the first month after birth. Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth covers systematic reviews of interventions that relate to pregnancy and childbirth, and up to 30 days following childbirth, as well as lactation.

• Browse a list Cochrane Neonatal Reviews
• Visit the Neonatal website
• Browse a list of Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Reviews
• Visit the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth website

Highlighted Resources

• Read a personal impact story: “Wearing Cochrane evidence”
• Read about the history and meaning of the Cochrane logo
• Read “Prenatal Corticosteroids for Reducing Morbidity and Mortality after Preterm Birth” on The History of Modern Biomedicine
• Read related Cochrane Library editorial "Corticosteroids for preterm deliveries: missing evidence"
• Read the Cochrane news item "World Health Organization uses Cochrane evidence in breastfeeding guideline."
• Read Cochrane evidence for supporting breastfeeding for preterm babies.
• Read "Kangaroo mother care to reduce morbidity and mortality in low birthweight infants".
• Read a Evidently Cochrane blog "Yummy, yummy in my tummy, getting big with milk from mummy. Getting preterm babies feeding orally - a roundup of current evidence."
• Read 'Interventions during pregnancy to prevent preterm birth: an overview of Cochrane systematic reviews'
• Join the webinar Evidence in practice: Choosing the best feeds for preterm infants on December 2, 2019 @ 12:00 pm EST (UTC -5). While other webinars in this series were created with fellows and trainees in mind, this webinar is aimed at a broader audience. The goal of this session is for participants to be able to identify the strengths and limitations of the evidence for choosing different types of enteral feeds for preterm infants. Participants will then be able to apply evidence from systematic reviews to inform clinical practice regarding types of feeds for preterm infants. Register here.