[TRANSCRIPT OF ANSWER]
What is Preterm Labor?
“Preterm labor is a condition where your body thinks it’s time to deliver your baby. It needs to be distinguished from preterm delivery where the baby actually does deliver, not all preterm labor eventuates in preterm delivery. Thankfully, otherwise, our NICU would be very very full. A lot of women will have cramps during pregnancy and they may be laboring. In other words, their cervix may change.”
“That is something a doctor can tell you. They have to examine you internally to determine that. But preterm labor is not always something that is necessarily problematic. It may result in a short hospital stay. You may get some additional medications to take for a brief period of time. And if you do wind up delivering early, that information is very important to have for your doctor for managing subsequent pregnancies. But fortunately, not all aches and pains are going to be preterm labor. If you’re concerned about it or you have any of those symptoms, I would recommend that you bring them to your doctor’s attention.”
