Let's look at early babies 2 Mar, 2021 04:00 PM 10 minutes to read Napier Courier By: Janine Gard Janine Gard is a diploma qualified birth educator and founder of Bellies to Babies. She has taught more than 2900 parents to feel confident, informed, supported and prepared. This week Janine writes about preterm births. Most pregnancies last about 40 weeks. A baby born before the 37th week of gestation is known as a premature or preterm baby. In New Zealand, about 7 to 10 per cent of babies are born prematurely. And according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), each year an estimated 15 million babies are born prematurely. While medical advances have greatly improved over the years, premature birth is the most common cause of death among babies worldwide. It's important to note that medical advances have meant that more than nine out of 10 premature babies survive, and most go on to develop normally.