pretermadj.n.adv.

1928 A. Gesell Infancy & Human Growth xv. 300 The pre-term child is viable even though he may have completed but three-quarters of his allotted uterine life-period.

1977 Lancet 30 July 246/1 The terms ‘prematurity’ and ‘immaturity’, with their vague and multiple meanings, have been replaced by the precise terms ‘low birthweight’ (under 2500 g) and ‘preterm’ (less than 37 completed weeks).

1993 Independent 20 Jan. 6/1 The cost of saving such lives, and caring for them in childhood, would be better invested in trying to stop pre-term births or in other areas of health care.

2002 I. Sansom Truth about Babies 184 Differences in composition between preterm and term milk.

1975 Arch. Dis. Childhood 50 235 The altered metabolism of tyrosine observed in preterms is not the result of poor ascorbic acid status.

1990 D. Ackerman Nat. Hist. Senses ii. 73 Some doctors in California have even been putting preterms on small waterbeds that sway gently.

2003 Women's Health Weekly (Nexis) 25 Dec. 108 The subjects for the preterm group..possessed attention deficits, a common problem in preterms.

1977 Lancet 9 July 87/1 We gave pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats 4 mg/kg indomethacin..and killed the fetuses at cæsarean section shortly pre-term.

1992 She (BNC) May 107 Sally lost her baby pre-term and was told only a fortnight later, ‘Just get on with having the next one, dearie.’

1993 Jrnl. Trop. Pediatrics 39 117/2 Six-year-old children born preterm and/or small-for gestational age.