When Vincent Lalumière was born in 1993, he weighed only four pounds - just over half the normal weight of a baby.

He came into this world eight weeks premature, and was unable to breathe on his own. Doctors hooked him up to a ventilator, and he spent the next 13 months in hospital, celebrating his first birthday away from home.

That was then.

Today, Vincent is a musically gifted 16-year-old, fluently bilingual and with no lingering health problems.....

http://www.montrealgazette.com/Health/Preemies+overcome+stereotypes/1703207/story.html

OTTAWA - Several biological and social factors can be strong indicators of whether an expectant mother will give birth to a premature or underweight baby, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

In a report released Thursday entitled “Too Early, Too Small,” the organization found that more than 54,000 of the approximately 350,000 babies born nationwide in 2006-07 came into the world prematurely, or were underweight.

http://www.canada.com/life/Premature+babies+related+social+factors+Study/1231540/story.html

Taking folic acid supplements for at least one year before conception reduces the risk of having a premature baby, a new study has found.

Although most pregnancies last about 40 weeks, approximately 10% of babies are born before 37 weeks.

Babies born prematurely are less likely to survive than full-term babies and are more likely to have breathing difficulties and learning or developmental disabilities.

Currently, there are no effective methods of preventing premature (preterm) births.

However, researchers found that women who have low levels of folate (folic acid) are more likely to give birth prematurely.

Folic acid supplements have been recommended in Ireland for child bearing women for many years, particularly those planning a pregnancy. They have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of neural tube defects.

In the US study of almost 35,000 women, taking folate supplements for at least one year before conception halved the risk of giving birth between 28 to 32 weeks gestation......

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=15500