Globally, over 4 million babies die within the first 4 weeks of life and a third of these are secondary to pre-term birth. In the United States, pre-term birth is the second leading cause of neonatal mortality. The US pre-term birth (<37 weeks) rate rose to 12.8% in 2006, an increase of 21% since 1990 and the rate of low birthweight (<2500 g) rose to 8.3% in 2006, an increase of 19% since 1990. Neurological disorders, such as cerebral palsy, which is often combined with mental disability, epilepsy, and cognitive impairment, are of special concern for survivors of pre-term birth. Even though pre-term birth occurs in only a small proportion of the infant population, its societal and personal health impact is considerable because of its disproportionately high perinatal morbidity, mortality, and need for costly medical care. However, it is very disappointing that to date, interventions to prevent pre-term birth have proven to be almost universally ineffective.