World Prematurity Day is observed every year on 17 November to draw global attention to premature birth – when a baby is born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy – and to highlight the challenges faced by preterm babies and their families. The day calls for better prevention of preterm birth, timely care for mothers in pregnancy and labour, and life-saving support for babies born too soon and too small.
History
World Prematurity Day began as a joint initiative of parent organizations from Europe and Africa who were directly affected by preterm birth. It was officially launched as a global awareness day in 2011 and has since grown into a worldwide movement supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, professional bodies and parent support groups. The purple colour and symbols like tiny socks or small footprints are often used to represent premature babies.
Each year, World Prematurity Day focuses on themes such as equal access to care for every baby, parent involvement in newborn care, and the importance of strong health systems for mothers and infants. Hospitals, neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), community organizations and families around the world organize events including lighting landmarks in purple, storytelling and remembrance ceremonies, educational sessions for parents, and campaigns on safe pregnancy and newborn care.
Why it matters
Prematurity is one of the leading causes of death in children under five years of age. Globally, an estimated 1 in 10 babies is born preterm, and many survivors face a higher risk of breathing difficulties, infections, feeding problems, vision or hearing issues, and long-term developmental delays or learning difficulties. For families, preterm birth can bring emotional stress, financial strain and long hospital stays.
However, simple, evidence-based interventions can dramatically improve survival and long-term outcomes for preterm babies. These include giving mothers steroid injections before preterm birth to mature the baby’s lungs, ensuring clean and safe delivery care, preventing and treating infections, and keeping babies warm. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) – continuous skin-to-skin contact between the baby and a parent, usually the mother, along with exclusive breastfeeding – has been shown to reduce deaths, infections and low body temperature in small and preterm babies, especially in settings with limited resources.
World Prematurity Day also highlights the importance of preventing preterm birth where possible. Good antenatal care, managing conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and infections during pregnancy, birth spacing, nutrition, reducing tobacco use and harmful substances, and access to emergency obstetric care all play a role in lowering the risk of babies being born too soon.
Key facts
Start of observance
- World Prematurity Day has been marked globally since 2011.
How common
- an estimated 1 in 10 babies worldwide is born preterm
- before 37 completed weeks of gestation.
Major impact
- complications of preterm birth are among the leading causes of death in children under 5 years.
Global inequality
- low- and middle-income countries
- including Bangladesh
- carry some of the highest preterm birth rates and face challenges in providing specialized newborn care.
In Bangladesh
Bangladesh is among the countries with a high rate of preterm birth, and complications related to prematurity contribute significantly to newborn and under-five deaths. Many babies are born too soon or too small because of factors such as maternal undernutrition or anaemia, infections during pregnancy, high blood pressure, early or closely spaced pregnancies, and limited access to quality antenatal and delivery services.
At the same time, Bangladesh has made important progress in introducing low-cost, effective methods to care for small and preterm babies. One major example is the promotion of kangaroo mother care (KMC) at both hospital and community level. In KMC, the baby is held upright against the mother’s or caregiver’s bare chest for prolonged periods, covered with cloth for warmth, and encouraged to breastfeed frequently. This skin-to-skin contact helps keep the baby warm, supports stable breathing and heart rate, improves weight gain and bonding, and reduces the risk of infection.
On World Prematurity Day, neonatologists, paediatricians, nurses, midwives and public health programs in Bangladesh often organize special events in maternity hospitals and NICUs. These include counselling sessions for parents of preterm babies, demonstrations of kangaroo mother care, discussions on breastfeeding support, and awareness messages about danger signs in newborns such as fast breathing, poor feeding, fever or low temperature.
Health authorities and partners also use the day to advocate for stronger maternal and newborn services: ensuring that pregnant women attend antenatal check-ups, receive treatment for infections and high blood pressure, deliver in facilities with trained staff, and have timely referral to higher-level hospitals when preterm labour or complications arise. By combining prevention, timely obstetric care, kangaroo mother care and neonatal intensive care where needed, Bangladesh can continue to improve survival and long-term outcomes for babies born too soon.
World Prematurity Day therefore serves as a reminder that every baby – no matter how small or early – deserves the chance to survive and thrive, and that supporting mothers and families is central to high-quality newborn care.
Frequently asked questions
- What counts as a premature birth?
- A baby is considered preterm or premature if it is born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. The earlier a baby is born, the higher the risk of breathing problems, infections and long-term developmental challenges.
- What is kangaroo mother care?
- Kangaroo mother care is a low-cost, evidence-based method in which a preterm or small baby is held in continuous skin-to-skin contact on the chest of a parent, usually the mother, and is breastfed frequently. This helps keep the baby warm, supports stable breathing and heart rate, improves weight gain and bonding, and has been shown to reduce deaths in preterm babies.
- Why are preterm babies at higher risk?
- Preterm babies are born before their organs, especially the lungs, brain and immune system, are fully mature. As a result, they may have difficulty breathing, maintaining body temperature and fighting infections, and they may face feeding and growth problems as well as later learning or developmental difficulties.