The design where the premature baby is placed is called the "incubator". It is made of a transparent material - a special plastic - with the function of supporting specified temperatures, humidity, and necessarily sterility.
Premature birth causes complications that affect the health and further development of the child. The gestation period has a direct relationship to the effect of such complications. The closer the birth of a child to the expected date of birth, the less it will have problems with health and development in the future.
A child born in his term, the weight at birth fluctuates within the norm. Premature babies, as a rule, weigh much less at birth. Such infants need special medical care, since their bodies did not have time to form themselves completely for independent fulfillment of their functions. Because of this, premature babies are exposed to the environment, and especially to infections, which leads to various diseases.
Caring for a child born before the term.
A child who is born between 32 and 37 weeks of gestation is also considered premature. With proper care, such children quickly catch up with other kids in both development and weight.
If a child is born less than 26 weeks pregnant, the baby is much more prone to complications in the form of mental retardation, brain paralysis and other prolonged physical defects. Such children need special living conditions, special nutrition, since their digestive organs are not completely formed.
While the child does not swallow and can not suck, it is fed either intravenously or through a special tube. It is desirable to feed such a child with expressed breastmilk, as it contains a balanced set of elements necessary for the child, and proteins that stimulate growth and help the child to fight infections.
The first 6 weeks of life of a premature baby are critical. Since it is impossible to foresee all possible complications in the development of such a child, it remains in intensive care for up to several months.
When several conditions are met, the child is discharged home. The conditions are as follows:
- the child must maintain the temperature of the body in the open cradle for 1 to 2 days;
- the infant does not need a special supplementary feeding carried out through the tube, that is, it can suck and swallow itself;
- growth, development of the child become stable.
Typical health problems in preterm infants.
- A child in a dream may experience a short-term stoppage of breathing, as a result of which the rhythm of the work of the heart slows down, and the skin becomes slightly blue (apnea);
- The baby has difficulty breathing due to underdevelopment of the lungs;
- The child lacks red blood cells in the blood, and these bodies have a very short life - that is, a manifestation of anemia. Sometimes this kid has to have a blood transfusion;
- The infant is particularly prone to various infectious diseases due to inadequate functioning of the immune system;
- The child needs strict control over the amount of bilirubin in the blood, as it is susceptible to hyperbilirubinemia, a jaundice that can damage the infant's brain.
Home care for a premature baby.
Pregnant babies need special care and attention at home, it takes the child's mother all the time. The kid needs the attention and love of all family members: thanks to this, the child will grow and develop normally. It is undesirable to give the premature baby to the nursery in the first year, since he needs special care.
A baby born before the term has a very weak immune system and is at increased risk of infectious diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to protect the child from a large number of visitors. Children and adults with colds, flu, sore throats and other viral infections should not be near the child. It is not recommended to take the child out of the room where he is, for at least 3 to 4 months. In the baby's room it is necessary to maintain a constant, almost sterile, cleanliness, to ventilate the room more often. Providing these conditions, you can avoid big problems in the future.
The child needs frequent feeding - from 8 to 10 times a day. Because of the high risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (a kind of gastrointestinal disease), it is necessary to feed the baby slowly. It is necessary to monitor the process of regurgitation after feeding. If the regurgitation is excessive, it is worthwhile to see a doctor, as the child will not gain weight. Periods between feedings should be no more than 4 hours to avoid dehydration in the baby.
A child born before the term has an increased need for sleep. It is necessary to provide all conditions for a healthy sleep: to lay a hard mattress and not to allow the child to sleep on the tummy. This reduces the risk of sudden death syndrome in a dream.
After the discharge of the premature baby from the maternity hospital, it may be necessary to use special medical equipment, for example, a breathing monitor. Not only the mother of the child, but all members of the family should have skills in handling such equipment - for the benefit of the child. It is necessary to have first aid skills. Also, it will not be superfluous to take advice from a doctor, print them out and hang them in a children's room in a conspicuous place.
The schedule of preventive vaccinations for all children is the same. Preterm infants are important every vaccination, so it is desirable to strictly adhere to this schedule.
If caring for the baby is right, he will quickly catch up with peers in development and will be fully healthy.