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Celebrated internationally on November 17th, World Prematurity Day (WPD) acknowledges the journeys of preterm infants and their families as well as raises awareness of the challenges faced by children born preterm and their families. This is ever so important as the incidence of preterm birth, worldwide, is increasing rapidly. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year an estimated 15 million infants worldwide are born preterm (over 3 weeks early). Sadly, the complications of preterm birth are among the leading causes of death in children under five. All infants born preterm require immediate and significant medical care posing unexpected challenges — emotional and financial — to their parents and family system.

The global theme for World Prematurity Day 2022 is:
A parent’s embrace: a powerful therapy.
Enable skin-to-skin contact from the moment of birth.

 

To honor WPD 2022, the NFI invites you to participate in one or more ways. To help you plan and celebrate, we offer some opportunities below.

World Prematurity Day Information SheetWorld Prematurity Day 2019 NFI Info Sheet

We invite you to use this informational sheet to introduce WPD to your NICU and/or share it with your local government agencies or local media outlets to gain broader exposure for your WPD events.

WPD NFI-EFCNI Poster Template

The NFI, as a participant in the EFCNI’s Socks for Life Campaign, has created a poster template for your use to promote any activities you plan for World Prematurity Day. You may add your own text to the poster, turn it into a PDF and email or post it wherever you wish.

We also offer the following guidelines to support your planning and execution of celebratory events:

Guidelines for Respectful World Prematurity Day Celebrations

Visit the EFCNI (European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants) website for many more WPD resources…

including social media posts, banners, a social media toolkit and other campaign materials: EFCNI website.

Other Ways You Can Raise Awareness and Support Newborns and their Families to Receive NIDCAP in Intensive Care Nurseries Around the World

  • Please send us photos of how you, your nursery or your city/town is celebrating WPD and helping to raise awareness of the prevalence of prematurity.  We will post your images on our website. Send to: shareyourstory@nidcap.org
  • Like Us on our Facebook page
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Connect with colleagues on LinkedIn

For past year’s World Prematurity Day celebrations click on the year below:

World Prematurity Day 2018
World Prematurity Day 2017
World Prematurity Day 2016
World Prematurity Day 2015

The NFI envisions a global society in which all hospitalized newborns and their families receive care in the evidence-based NIDCAP model. NIDCAP supports development, enhances strengths and minimizes stress for infants, family and staff who care for them. It is individualized and uses a relationship-based, family-integrated approach that yields measurable outcomes.