Title: AboutKidsHealth
Headings: 

Content: </li><li>the pregnant mother’s lifestyle: smoking cigarettes, taking drugs, and consuming alcohol during pregnancy are also risk factors for SGA births.<br></li></ul><p>Although most babies are born with a weight that is considered appropriate for their gestational age (AGA), medical professionals are always on the lookout for SGA babies because they generally will require more interventions and a longer stay in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The SGA condition, especially combined with extreme prematurity, makes babies more at risk for certain medical conditions, especially neurological problems such as <a href="/Article?contentid=847&language=English">cerebral palsy</a>. </p><h2>What causes premature birth?</h2><p>There are a number of known reasons why some babies are born premature. Some have to do with the condition of the mother, others with the condition of the fetus. </p><p>Maternal causes, or causes having to do with the general condition of the mother, include:</p><ul><li>high blood pressure </li><li>infection </li><li>substance abuse </li><li>trauma </li><li>chronic illness </li></ul><p>Premature birth can also come as a result of complications with either the uterus or the placenta. These include:</p><ul><li>cervical incompetence, or an early opening of the cervix </li><li>malformation of the uterus </li><li>an excess of amniotic fluid, which can cause pressure in the uterus, resulting in early contractions and birth </li><li>malformations or early detachment of the placenta </li></ul><p>Premature birth can also be the result of fetal causes, which include:</p><ul><li>infection </li><li>fetal malform