Preterm birth - delivery before 37 weeks - is the most common obstetrical problem pregnant women face in this country.  Nearly half a million women give birth too early each year.

The good news about preterm delivery, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is that the rate seems to be dropping in this country.  The bad news is that is still unacceptably high, especially for an industrialized country like ours that offers excellent medical care.

It’s unclear why preterm birth occurs in about half the babies that arrive before their due date, but one thing is for certain: Preterm delivery can happen to any woman. Ccertain moms are more prone to preterm delivery, including the following:

• those expecting multiple babies

• women who have had a preterm birth in the past

• women with certain abnormalities of the uterus or cervix

Health habits, including the following, also influence your risk of delivering before 37 weeks:

• smoking cigarettes

• alcohol and drug use

• domestic violence and other severe stress

• diabetes

• elevated blood pressure

• weighing too much or too little before conception

Even if you have one or more of these risk factors for preterm birth, it doesn’t mean it will happen to you.  However, you should take the best possible care of your health and discuss with your doctor or nurse midwife all the possible ways to prevent preterm delivery.

Have you seen my other blog at USATODAY.com?  It features tips for feeding your family healthy foods, and offers a weekly recipe that I prepare with my children as part of Cooking With My Kids.  This week’s recipe is Buttermilk-Walnut Coffee Cake with Orange Essence. Delicious!