Annika Sorenstam gives birth prematurely.

March 22, 2011 2:49 pm |Posted In: LPGA | Written by: Mark Leevan +

More Info: , Annika Sorenstam, placenta disruption, premature birth, premie

Annika Sorenstam announced on Facebook that she gave birth prematurely to her son William because of a placenta abruption.

William, was born yesterday just 27 weeks into the pregnancy.

A Facebook note posted on the LPGA Official Page explained her premature birth.

Sorenstam said she suffered from placenta abruption and had contractions and dilation. The doctors tried to take the pregnancy to full term but ultimately decided that a Cesarean section was the best alternative for William.

“The process went well and William Nicholas McGee was born 2.12 lbs and 15 inches long … at 6:33 p.m.,”

Sorenstam wrote on Facebook.

William is in the Neonatal Intensive Care unit Winnie Palmer Hospital, (named for iconic golfer Arnold Palmer’s wife) which specializes in care for women and babies, in Orlando, Fla.

She is hoping for the best but admits that the next two months are critical for William

“Mike, Ava (her daughter), Will and I want to thank everyone for your thoughts, prayers and concern,”

Placenta abruption is caused when the body sends a signal that a birth has occurred and the placenta peels away to follow the baby out the birth canal. When the signal is crossed and the baby has not been born, the placenta cannot deliver nutrients and oxygen to the infant, putting the baby’s life at risk.

Image from Dan Perry

Comment