High blood pressure is the main factor linked to early labour, while diabetes was recognised as playing an increasing role.

Medical advances mean that survival rates have significantly improved, however. The number of baby deaths associated with premature birth has halved.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh analysed data from nearly 90,000 births in Scotland between 1980 and 2005. In total there were 1.49 million births in Scotland over the study period of which 5.8% were preterm.

However, the increase in those born or induced prematurely is placing increased pressure on Scotland’s 16 neonatal units and the Scottish Government must find ways to reduce this, according to the report’s author.

Professor Jane Norman, director of the Tommy’s Centre for Maternal and Fetal Health Research, said: “The increase in survival rates for babies born prematurely backs up decisions by doctors to medically induce births to prevent potential complications.

“The increase in diabetes as a factor in premature births is also interesting and may be because there are more women with pre-existing diabetes -- which is linked to obesity -- as well as better diagnosis of expectant mothers with gestational diabetes.

“Nevertheless, preterm births still account for two-thirds of all stillbirths, neonatal deaths, and extended neonatal stays in hospital and thus cause considerable suffering and greatly increase the workload in neonatal units.

“The rates of such births consequently need to be reduced and, for Scotland at least, ways will have to be found to reduce the rates of both spontaneous and induced preterm births to achieve this goal while continuing to identify those sick babies who need to be delivered early to give them the best chance of survival.”

Public Health Minister Shona Robison admitted lessons must be learned, and added work was under way to improve the service. Ms Robison said: “It is important that premature babies, and other sick and vulnerable infants, receive the highest quality care from the most appropriate professionals.

“Neonatal units play a very important role in providing this specialist care and we have recently started work to ensure more flexible care and co-operation between units for the benefit of mothers and babies.

“As well as providing the best care for babies and their mothers, it is also important to learn all the lessons we can to make births safer in future and reduce our perinatal mortality rate even further.”

But calls for better funding rather than more hospital transfers were made by parents as well as the support groups. Dr Jean Turner, of the Scotland Patients Association, said: “We definitely need personnel out there in order to make the figures better. We need more neonatal nurses and trained midwives.”

Andy Cole, chief executive of the charity Bliss, said: “With the significant increase in premature births that is also identified in the research, staff are becoming overstretched and many neonatal units are at breaking point.

“Additional staff and resources are urgently needed in neonatal care to ensure the best possible outcomes for these vulnerable babies and their families.”

The number of babies born prematurely increased from 54 per 1000 births between 1980 and 1985 to 63 per 1000 births between 2000 and 2005, a rise of 16%.

This came as fewer babies were born. Between 1980 and 1985 there were 324,725 births while between 2000 and 2005 there were 251,716.

 

 

Case Study THE MARSHALL TWINS

SURVIVAL: Mothers criticised the government for failing to provide enough staff for hard pressed neonatal units and instead opting to improve patient transfer services, writes Brian Donnelly.

Lynne Marshall said that when she faced the prospect of losing her premature twins she was told she would have to fly to Ireland as there were no hospital cots anywhere in Scotland.

“We were devastated. It was bad enough trying to come to terms with the fact that because the twins were going to be so early that the rate of survival was stacked against them and would they survive never mind having to deal with it at a hospital not even in the same country.

“We were absolutely dis-traught. No one can understand unless they have had a sick or premature baby the pressure that you are under when your child is fighting for their life.”

At the last minute, Ms Marshall, 33, and her partner, Graeme McDermott, 38, of Dalkeith, Midlothian, were told that two beds had become available in Edinburgh and the air ambulance would not be needed.

After the 24-week pregnancy and 104 days in hospital, little Murray and Jack, were able to go home and are now healthy toddlers.

But Ms Marshall added: “We have to keep the services available locally. It should not be a lottery.”

In May, a government report by the neonatal services sub-group of the Maternity Services Action Group found that although there were 347 cots at 16 neonatal units throughout the country only 306 were staffed.

Earlier this year a mother told how her traumatic time was made “even worse” by having one of her triplets moved to another hospital.

A lack of available specialist care in Aberdeen meant Cameron Noble, born 12 weeks prematurely, was transferred to Dundee.

His mother, Kelly Noble, from Fraserburgh, spent four days apart from Cameron after giving birth to him and his brothers, at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital by emergency Caesarean section.