Q: I had an uncomplicated pregnancy. I suddenly went into preterm labour at 31 weeks of pregnancy and delivered a baby weighing 1.9 kg. The baby was doing extremely well, he had no lung or heart problem. He was accepting expressed mother's milk and the tinned milk. He was gaining weight properly. I was told that he had an intraventricular haemorrhage in his brain, which often resolves on its own. But suddenly he died on the ninth day. What was the reason of the death despite the good weight and no other complications? Is this common? If I become pregnant again, do I have higher chances of another premature baby?

A:At 31 weeks gestation, 1.9 kg. is an above average weight. The survival for babies more than 1.8 kg. is easily 80%. Sometimes, babies do not give any indications of being ill and catch everyone by surprise. Sometimes, infections may not be picked up early and may progress rapidly and result in sudden death. Without any more information it is hard to say what exactly happened. As regards the likelihood of premature delivery occurring again, it would depend on the underlying cause for premature labour during this delivery. This question is best answered by your gynaecologist as she knows exactly what happened.