Pregnancy and premature birth:
- Preterm births occur in 11-13% of pregnancies in the US.
- Nearly 60% of twins, triplets and other types of multiple births result in preterm births.
It is important to recognize that preterm deliveries, even late preterm, should never be performed for the benefit of the mother or the obstetrician. Research has shown that late preterm infants are at much higher risk of negative outcomes, and every effort should be made for babies to complete the pregnancy at term.
Characteristics of premature babies:
If her baby is born prematurely, she may not look or behave like a full-term baby. While the average full-term baby weighs about 7 pounds (3.17 kg) at birth, a premature newborn could weigh 5 pounds (2.26 kg) or even much less. However, thanks to medical advances, children born after twenty-eight weeks of pregnancy who weigh more than 2 pounds 3 ounces (1 kg) have an almost absolute chance of survival. Eight out of ten babies born after the 30th week have very few long-term health or developmental problems, while premature babies born before 28 weeks have more complications and require intensive treatment and support in an Intensive Care Unit. Neonatals, NICU.
Physical appearance of a premature baby:
- The earlier your baby is born, the smaller it will be, the larger its head will appear in relation to the rest of its body, and the less body fat it will have.
- With such little fat, his skin will appear thinner and more transparent, actually allowing you to see the blood vessels under the skin. He may also have fine hair, called lanugo, on his back and shoulders.
- Their features will appear stronger and less rounded than they would be at full term, and the baby will probably not have the vernix caseosa (a waxy protective coating) that protects it at birth, since birth does not occur until the last stage of pregnancy. Don't worry though; over time it will begin to have the appearance of a typical newborn.
- Because it has no protective fat, your premature baby will catch colds at normal room temperatures. For this reason, he will be placed immediately after birth in an incubator (often called an isolette) or in a special warming device called a radiant warmer. In this device, the temperature can be adjusted to keep you warm.
- After a quick exam in the delivery room, you'll probably be transferred to a special care newborn nursery often called a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU.
How your premature baby behaves:
- You may also notice that your premature baby cries only very softly, if at all, and may have difficulty breathing. This is because their respiratory system is still immature.
- If you were born more than two months early, your breathing difficulties can cause serious health problems, since the rest of the body's immature organs may not get enough oxygen. To make sure this doesn't happen, doctors will watch you closely and monitor your breathing and heart rate with equipment called a cardiorespiratory monitor.
- If you need help breathing, you may be given extra oxygen or special equipment such as a respirator; Another respiratory support technique, called continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), may be used temporarily to help you breathe.
Parents of premature babies: how to deal with stress:
Just as this care is important to your baby's survival, moving to the special care nursery can be painful for you. For all the worrying about your health, you may be missing out on the experience of holding, nursing, and bonding with your baby after delivery. You will not be able to hold or touch it whenever you want, nor can you take it into the room with you.
To combat the stress of this experience, ask to see your baby as soon as possible after delivery and become as active as possible in caring for her. Read: How you can be involved in your baby's care in the NICU.
1- Spend all the time with him in the special care newborn room, to the extent that his situation —and yours— allow it:
Even if you can't hold it yet (until it's stable), touch it often. Many intensive care units allow parents to use "kangaroo care"—or skin-to-skin contact—with their babies, as long as they don't require significant support for their organ systems.
2- You can also feed it as long as your doctor approves it:
The nurses will instruct you on breastfeeding or bottle-feeding techniques, whichever is appropriate for your baby's needs and what you want.
- Some premature babies may initially require fluids to be given intravenously or through a feeding tube that goes through the mouth or nose into the stomach. However, your breast milk is the best nutrition possible, providing antibodies and other substances that boost your immune response and help you fight infection.
- In some cases, if your premature baby finds it very difficult to nurse at the breast, you can express breast milk to feed him through a tube or bottle. Once you can begin to breastfeed directly, your baby should nurse frequently to increase your milk supply. Still, sometimes mothers of premature babies feel the need to continue using a breast pump in addition to frequent feedings in order to maintain a good milk supply. Read: How to give breast milk to premature or sick newborns.
3- You may be ready to return home before your baby, something that may make it difficult for you, but remember that your baby is in good hands, and you can visit or visit her as much as you want:
You can use the time you are not in the hospital to rest and prepare your home and family for the arrival of the baby, and to read about caring for premature babies. Even after you have returned home, if you have participated in your child's recovery and continue to have enough contact with the baby, you will feel much better about the situation and it will be easier for you to care for the baby once you leave the nursery. for babies.
4- As soon as your doctor approves, gently touch, hold and rock your newborn.
5- Your own pediatrician can participate in the immediate care of your baby or, at least, will be informed about it:
Because of this, it will be able to answer most of your questions.
Your baby will be ready to go home once she breathes on her own, maintains her body temperature, breastfeeds or bottlefeeds, and regularly gains weight.
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